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Articles by Bethany Baratta
Farm to fork lunch highlights soy's power in food and industry
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Bethany Baratta) October 8, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Those who work in agribusiness do not necessarily have a direct connection to the farm, but everyone has a connection to food. Iowa consistently ranks first or second in the nation in corn, pork and soybean production, and fourth in beef production.
Rural Route 2: Pockets full of harvest
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) October 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta I found a kernel of corn nestled in the handle of my dryer lint screen the other day. Apparently, my son didn’t fully clean out his pockets after a day of fun at the pumpkin patch.
Face-to-face with global buyers of U.S. soy
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Bethany Baratta) October 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta The event venue was planted squarely between Navy Pier—once a primary soy shipping hub—and the Chicago Board of Trade, where buyers and sellers have traded futures for generations.
Remembering Iowa ag leader Ray Gaesser
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / File Photo) September 10, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Those in Ray Gaesser’s orbit knew him by his patient demeanor, the easy way he invited others into conversations, and a smile that radiated right through the phone line.
Unpacking 45Z - Missouri Soybeans
Story By Bethany Baratta | Photography by Joclyn Kuboushek This article is original content from the Iowa Soybean Review. The Section 45Z Clean Energy Production Tax Credit is moving toward implementation, with the U.S. Treasury targeting November 2026 for its official rule release. For soybean farmers, it will directly impact marketing, on-farm record keeping, and potentially your local grain basis.
45Z and your farm: What Iowa farmers need to know before the 2027 crop year
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) September 3, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Are you interested in possibly earning more for the crops you grow on your farm? Have you wondered how the Iowa Soybean Association is speaking on your behalf as it relates to the prices received at the farm gate? Join ISA on Sept.
Low water threatens Midwest soybean shipping
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. July 2024 traffic on the Mississippi River. Low water levels on the Mississippi River threaten soybean shipments just ahead of harvest. Nearly 60% of U.S. soybean exports reach their final destinations via the Mississippi River and Gulf ports.
Rural Route 2: Wrigleyville Wisdom
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) September 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta From our seats in Section 228, the view offered a perfect panoramic of the historic field. To our left, second base. To our right, the legendary, ivy-laced home run wall. Directly in front of us, outfielders stretched across the manicured grass fields.
Hedging the 45Z carbon math
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) September 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Tom Brooks monitors a custom Excel document he created from scratch.
What Iowa Farmers Need to Know About the 45Z Tax Credit
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) September 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta The Section 45Z Clean Energy Production Tax Credit is moving toward implementation, with the U.S. Treasury targeting November 2026 for its official rule release.
Rural Route 2: Iowa's first three beans
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) August 3, 2026 | Bethany Baratta When J.R. Jackson planted three soybean seeds near Davenport in the spring of 1852, he couldn’t have imagined how Iowa agriculture would evolve.
Outdated rules cost American soybean farmers $0.33 a bushel
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) July 16, 2026 | Bethany Baratta As soybean crushing increases to meet demand for sustainably produced fuel, assumptions about soy’s carbon intensity ought to be updated to accurately reflect the benefits of soy production on the environment, industry experts say.
Conversations that can improve your bottom line
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) June 11, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Iowa soybean growers are constantly seeking new ways to improve efficiency, profitability and long-term sustainability.
Rural Route 2: Beyond the remote
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) June 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Somewhere along the way, commercial card companies decided that dads like at least one of these three things: fishing, grilling or the remote control.
Closing the gap between Iowa’s farmers and consumers
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) June 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta As Mark Jackson pulled his planter through the field to seed his 52nd crop near Rose Hill, Lydia Zerby and other volunteers were in Ames, helping youngsters scoop cereals, soy nuts and other ingredients to simulate a feed ration.
Expanding the Great Lakes' Export Capacity
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Investing in infrastructure from farm to port
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) May 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta The Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) understands there’s value in every bushel of soybeans moved from the farm. That’s why it works to improve the infrastructure by which the bushels are moved throughout the state and to customers around the world.
Rural Route 2: Watching the skies
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) May 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta My husband thinks I’m obsessed with the weather. And maybe he’s right. I check the weather forecast on two apps on my phone and turn the TV to the local news just to see if the meteorologist’s map agrees with the digital version.
Honoring the Brooke family's commitment to land, livestock and community
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) May 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Lee Brooke took a moment to scan the crowd gathered in his machine shop near Clarinda. In the 46 years since his professional farming career began, this one was near the top — though slightly embarrassing.
Soy strategy in a Brazil-led world
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Aaron Putze) May 1, 2026 | Bethany Baratta For 80 years, American soybean farmers had a simple mission: Produce more, export the surplus, and let U.S. diplomacy handle the rest.
Farmers’ $200K fuels Milwaukee soybean surge
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Bethany Baratta) April 2, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Investment in a project near the Port of Milwaukee will expand soybean shipment capabilities through the inland waterways system and on to global markets.
Rural Route 2: Seeing is believing
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / File Photo) March 31, 2026 | Bethany Baratta When our son was about four years old, he was in the depths of his dinosaur stage. He wanted everything dinosaur — soaps, shirts, toys, books, stuffed animals — he was all about it.
How cropping systems can mitigate drought effects
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) March 31, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Every growing season, farmers roll imaginary dice. Will there be too much rain at planting, a mid-summer drought, or the lucky Goldilocks rain — just the right amount at just the right time?
Agricultural Values Represented as Song Debuts
March 16, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Soybeans dance in a Virginia field—the canopy shifting from green to a gold-bronze hue. In the middle of the field, 17-year-old Ana Sofia Johnson strums her guitar. A song rooted in the field She could have picked anywhere to record this music video for the release of her first song, “The World.” But the family’s farm in the Northern Neck of Virginia made sense to Ana Sofia. It took an outside perspective to see the specific beauty of the soybean field, however.
Soybeans set scene for music debut
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. March 16, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Soybeans dance in a Virginia field—the canopy shifting from green to a gold-bronze hue. In the middle of the field, 17-year-old Ana Sofia Johnson strums her guitar.
Where US Soybeans Are Finding New Markets
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USMCA Review: Farmers Urge ‘Do No Harm’
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) March 5, 2026 | Bethany Baratta The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is working for soybean farmers, and as the countries meet for its scheduled review, one farmer urges those at the table to keep the agreement intact.
On Air With Bob Quinn, Advocate for Iowa Agriculture
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) March 2, 2026 | Bethany Baratta The radio threaded itself into the fabric of Bob Quinn’s life long before he claimed it as part of his identity in Iowa agriculture.
Critical Ag Legislation Passes Through First Funnel
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) February 26, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Several Iowa Soybean Association (ISA)-supported priorities passed through the first funnel deadline of Iowa’s 2026 legislative session last week. To remain eligible for consideration, most bills must be approved by their assigned committees by this date.
Opportunity For Growth In Domestic Pork Demand
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Stronger Support For Domestic Feedstocks in Biofuels
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) February 5, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Long-awaited biofuel guidance was released earlier this week by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Farmers And Olympians Are More Alike Than You Think
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) February 3, 2026 | Bethany Baratta This month, nearly 3,000 of the world’s most elite athletes will gather in Italy to compete in the Winter Olympic Games.
President Trump, This is What Soybean Farmers Need
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) January 29, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Iowa’s soybean farmers delivered a clear message to President Trump during his visit to Iowa this week—action is needed to improve biofuels policy and expand markets.
America’s First Transcontinental Railroad Paused
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) January 22, 2026 | Bethany Baratta The merging of Union Pacific Corporation and Norfolk Southern Corporation railroad companies is on hold as the Surface Transportation Board (STB) determined last week that the merger application was incomplete.
Top Biofuel Priorities That Will Impact Farmers
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) January 15, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Soybean prices could get a boost if looming biofuel obligations are solidified and passed, says Matt Herman, chief officer of demand and advocacy for the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA).
Understand Your Capital and Treat Your Farm Like a Business
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) January 6, 2026 | Bethany Baratta Jim Knuth has seen a few things in his four decades in ag lending.
Building Industry Connections and Sharing Farmer Stories
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek) January 6, 2026 | Bethany Baratta A new monthly calendar adorns my desk at the Iowa Soybean Association. It's a reminder of the all that lies ahead — 365 new pages to write. It's a book of blank spaces to fill with farm visits, interviews, trips to the zoo and celebrations with family.
Bridge Payments Will Be Capped at $155K Per Farm or Person
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Tom Adam's Flexibility Shapes Farm and Future
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. December 1, 2025 | Bethany Baratta Keep an open mind, embrace change and be flexible with your farming operation. It's the best advice Tom Adam says he's ever received. But the origins of that advice are unknown. Perhaps it was his family; after all, his family has farmed their land in Keokuk County since 1852.
The Joys of Christmas Season on the Farm
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. December 1, 2025 | Bethany Baratta Before there were matching pajamas and made-for-social media holiday moments, there were chores, cold fingers and barn cats waiting for their turn to slurp leftover milk after feeding cattle.
Soybean Farmers Back Infrastructure to Move More Meal Abroad
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. November 26, 2025 | Bethany Baratta The expansion of soybean processing in the U.S. has been driven by the growth in demand for renewable diesel. For the first time ever, biofuels use of soybean oil has surpassed oil used for exports or through domestic use in food consumption.
ISU President Wendy Wintersteen to Retire January 2026
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. November 26, 2025 | Bethany Baratta In January 2026, Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, president of Iowa State University (ISU), will retire. Dr. Wintersteen has been lauded for her vision, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, love of ISU, innovation and respect and admiration for agriculture and farmers.
Opportunity for Domestic Soybean Market Expansion
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. November 13, 2025 | Bethany Baratta As talks of announced agreements with China and others are cheered, the United States must promote opportunities that would expand domestic markets for U.S. soy, the American Soybean Association (ASA) and National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) urged the Trump administration earlier this week.
Veteran, Engineer and Farmer
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. October 31, 2025 | Bethany Baratta Number 22 didn't mean much to Jack Boyer — until it did. It was his draft lottery number; a low number that guaranteed he would enter the military during the Vietnam War era. The year was 1971.
A Season For Expressing Gratitude and Honoring Veterans
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. October 31, 2025 | Bethany Baratta November is a breath — sometimes long, sometimes short — that comes between harvest and winter. It's the month of gratitude, when we celebrate Thanksgiving and honor Veterans Day.
Farmers Press Senate on Seed, Fertilizer Costs
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. October 30, 2025 | Bethany Baratta The Senate Judiciary committee this week heard from farmers and others to shed a light on competition issues in the seed and fertilizer industries.
Consequences of Uncertainty in the Markets
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. October 16, 2025 | Bethany Baratta If there’s anything certain in the current farm economy, it’s uncertainty. From government shutdowns to shifting trade flows and renewable fuel policy delays, there’s no shortage of challenges for today’s ag markets.
Strasser Recognized as Emerging Leader within ISA
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. October 1, 2025 | Bethany Baratta When fifth-generation farmer Brian Strasser returned to farming in 2013, he joined the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) as a member. Since then, he’s expanded his involvement through policy and programming, learning more about the industry and the association.
Buckets of Candy and Bushels of Beans
Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant. Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser. October 1, 2025 | Bethany Baratta "What's a ghost's favorite fruit?" my 8-year-old asked. "Hmm. Scare berries?" I replied, hoping he wouldn't recognize that I made it up. "Booberries," he says, laughing.
Iowa Strip-Tiller Honored for Agriculture Advocacy
Some people know Spencer farmer Chuck White through his involvement and advocacy of the Clay County Fair — he's a second-generation fair board member. Others have long admired his conservation efforts in northern Iowa. Friends around the world know White through his hospitality. Recently, he picked up another title: Advocate for Iowa Agriculture. The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) recently recognized White as the 2025 Advocate for Iowa Agriculture.
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