Know your community: Applied soybean research

Soybeans are a critical row crop across the globe, and producers depend on researchers to deliver unbiased production recommendations. The Applied Soybean Research Community is primarily composed of extension specialists and graduate students who work together to provide critical research-founded recommendations to producers; however, this community is open to anyone who is interested in applied soybean research! This group is active at the Annual Meeting but also beyond that through collaborative research, extension efforts, and graduate student activities.

At the Annual Meeting, the Applied Soybean Community has historically hosted two oral sessions and one poster session. We host a graduate student oral competition with 11 M.S. and 7 Ph.D. students participating in 2019. Last year’s winners were the following: (Ph.D.) first place, Corey Bryant (Mississippi State); second place, Leanna Leverich (University of Minnesota); and third place, Katherine Rod (University of Kentucky); and (M.S.) first place, Tom Siler (Michigan State), second place, Dakota Miller (Purdue University); and third place, Keeley Overmyer (Ohio State).

Beyond the meetings, this group is active in collaborative applied soybean research across the United States. One example involves investigating the

 value of foliar nutrient feeding in soybeans. A graduate student in the community (Emma Matcham, University of Wisconsin) manages this project. In 2019, 13 states participated for a total of 20 sites (Figure 1), and in 2020, 15 states are participating for a total of 24 sites. We have funding from the United Soybean Board that allows us to amplify our extension outreach by leveraging state-funded research, such as the foliar nutrient feeding project, for national impact.

Another initiative recently started by this community is an annual graduate student tour that rotates around the United States, showcasing the diversity of soybean production and extension efforts across the county. The first tour was hosted in North Carolina and Virginia in 2019 (Figure 2). Not only were students exposed to soybean production in this region but also a wide diversity of other crops that impact soybean management. This tour allows students to network with potential employers and other graduate students working in similar fields. Ohio and Michigan were planning to host the tour in 2020; however, COVID-19 travel restrictions didn’t allow the tour to continue. We hope the tour will resume in 2021. Please let us know if you are interested in sponsoring it.

Please contact Maninder Singh (Send Message), Community Leader, or Rachel Vann (Send Message), Vice Leader, with any questions or suggestions.