Chairman, Illinois Soybean Association

John Quincy Adams was quoted as saying, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) CEO Lyle Roberts certainly fits those high standards. Lyle will retire September 1, following 25 years of service to Illinois soybean farmers and 40 years of service to Illinois agriculture.

“We had a lot of fun,” says Kelsey Bulat. “It’s like being an artist and someone gives you free art supplies and tells you to just create.”

Bulat and Howlett are both culinary science majors at ISU, with matching ambitions to make a splash in the food world. This experience allowed them to be creative and work outside the box.

“The creativity and innovation was over the top,” says Linda Funk, executive director of The Soyfoods Council. “The dishes were perfect to use in foodservice and absolutely  delicious.”

Find all the recipes from the tasting at The Soyfoods Council Website

The tasting started with Bulat and Howlett explaining the different soy dishes

Bulat answers questions regarding the soy dishes. There were nine different recipes that incorporated soyfoods.

A taster grabs a Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich. It used soft silken tofu to contribute to the texture and taste..

The Lemon Cream Fruit Dip was creamy, sweet and tart. The two used marshmallow cream which allowed it to be served at varying temperatures without worries of spoilage.

A plate with the Lemon Cream Dip and the Fiesta Bean Relish. The relish was served with chips but could be added to a variety of foods.

A Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich. After allowing it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours it was served on toasted bread.

The Greek Stuffed Peppers were tender and tasteful. They combined ingredients like feta cheese, red onions, olives, rice and extra firm tofu.

Jantina Wennerstrom, marketing associate at the Soyfoods Council, begins tasting the recipes.

Howlett and Bulat are busy in the kitchen ensuring everything is perfect. They worked for three weeks creating the soy recipes.

One of the recipes prepared during the tasting were the Apple Cinnamon Soy Crepes. Here, Bulat begins the preparation.

She chops several granny smith apples that were sautéed butter, sugar and cinnamon.

The crepes are quickly browned in a skillet before the filling is added.

Howlett carefully places the sautéed apples in the crepes. They were served warm and topped with cool French Vanilla whipped cream.

Howlett cleans up after serving the crepes.

Funk begins her critiques of the soy recipes.

Each taster was asked rate the foods on taste, recipe clarity, and appearance. Here Linda Svendsen, senior lecturer of Food Science & Human Nutrition at ISU, makes comments about a recipe.

Chef Everett Phillips, manager of Food Services II at ISU Dining, discusses the recipes with Funk.

After the tasting, Howlett listened to the comments and suggestions by the tasters.

In the end, the group tasted nine recipes in an hour.

With Summer in full swing, the Iowa Soybean Association’s Environmental Team is out in the field testing water quality around the state. Recently, the Soybean Review followed E-Team staffers, Dan Dreher and Anthony Seeman, around one afternoon as they sampled Brushy Creek in Carroll County.

The creek is a tributary of the Raccoon River, the source of drinking water for over 500,000 Iowans and since 2008 has been monitored as part of a Watershed Improvement Review Board grant. Working with ISA on the project is Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance (ACWA), Des Moines Water Works (DMWW), and the local Natural Resources Conservations Service office. Other aspects of the grant are working with livestock producers to install improved runoff controls and management evaluation of nutrients in row crops.

The day’s task was to collect 12 samples from different points along the creek and then drop off the samples at Des Moines Water Works, which handles the testing. Below are some photos of the day’s activities, including a trip to a bioreactor.

Dreher filling the first of 12 samples taken that day. Once filled, the bottles are stored on ice until they arrive at the water lab. The ice is used to discourage biologic activity.

The first stop of the day. Dreher pulls a sample from Brushy Creek with a bucket.

The bucket is rinsed three times before a sample is taken to ensure an accurate reading at the lab.

Another site along Brushy Creek. This one utilizes a sedimentation basin to slow water from downcutting.

Using a small claw, Dreher dips a bottle into the fast moving water to collect a sample. Most times, Dreher would have to wade through tall grass and thick pockets of mud to reach the banks.

Large slumping caused by a washout. This area of Brushy Creek was heavily impacted this spring when a a large buildup of snow and ice melted and caused this fallout.

Dreher and Seeman search for the best spot to grab a sample.

One of the stops of the day included checking up on a bioreactor installation. Here Seeman opens a water control structure to take a sample.

In the second control tower of the bioreactor Dreher and Seeman attempt to take another sample.

However, the water level was low in this one. Unable to take a sample with the small claw they had, the two came up with a quick solution.

Dreher quickly closes the lid on the sample to prevent contamination.

The quick thinking allowed them to reach far enough down to grab a sample. Seeman remarked that the water was "tea" colored, an indication that it is being filtered through the mulch-like filter surrounding the control tower.

The Environmental team has set up remote electronic rain event sampling stations on the Brushy. Here, Seeman is inspecting one of the stations. Once the creek reaches a specific water depth (typically during storms), the computer inside will begin to test the water.

While downloading the most recent data he discovered the creek, during a storm, had reached up to 16ft deep. Within 12-14 hours the stream had returned to its normal 2ft depth.

Driving around rural Iowa we saw a lot of interesting things and snapped this photo of a flower in bloom.

A helicopter makes a low pass over a field to treat some crops.

After the 12 samples had been collected, they were taken to the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) laboratory. Here are the samples laid out on a table.

Gordon Brand, senior chemist at DMWW, begins working with the samples. He will eventually compile the data into a database that will be used by the Environmental Team to improve the watershed.

]]> http://soybeanreview.com/featured/a-day-with-the-brushy/feed/ 0 http://soybeanreview.com/illinois/college-students-prepare-for-crop-science-careers/ http://soybeanreview.com/illinois/college-students-prepare-for-crop-science-careers/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:38:36 +0000 admin http://soybeanreview.com/?p=566 ISA Scholar Program begins with 2010-11 School Year

Photo: Illinois Soybean Association

Anticipated exponential growth in the global population by 2050 will create greater demand for food and a greater need to produce more food per acre.

Several Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) students may be in positions to help.  Eleven incoming students for 2010-11 have been named Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) scholars to pursue crop science degrees and ultimately fill much-needed industry positions.

“Enrollment in crop science programs at the four state universities has declined during recent years, which is detrimental for developing future university researchers,” says ISA Chairman Ron Moore, soybean farmer from Roseville.  ”Students often overlook what can be exciting and well paying career opportunities in the field, and Illinois soybean farmers hope to change that.”

Jason Emmert, assistant dean of academic programs, University of Illinois College of ACES, says five students selected for the scholarships will pursue degrees through the Department of Crop Sciences.  Recipients will be awarded $12,000 during their first year, followed by $10,000 per year for up to three additional years if renewal criteria are met.  To help reduce the cost of tuition, recipients will receive additional assistance worth up to $8,000 over four years, thus bringing the total potential value of the scholarship to $50,000 over four years.

Each of six SIUC students selected will receive substantial financial awards to help with their education expenses as well, says Bryan Young, SIUC weed science professor and program coordinator.  Three freshmen recipients can receive up to $10,000 over four years, while three transfer students can receive up to $5,000, if academic and work experience standards are met.

“Many of the recipients have already identified graduate school as an academic goal as a means to achieve their career aspirations.  Once these students complete their education at the B.S. level or beyond, I am confident they will be highly sought in the job market for their technical knowledge of crop science, job skills and hands-on work experiences,” says Young.  ”Students with these qualifications can hold several different positions and will certainly have a role in the development of new innovations and practices for crop production, especially soybeans.”

The 2010-11 school year scholarship recipients for the University of Illinois include:

• Jarai Carter, Champaign, Ill., Centennial High School
• Kristine Droste, Nashville, Ill., Kaskaskia College
• Ronald Dymerski Jr., Beecher, Ill., Marian Catholic High School
• Corey Johnson, Monee, Ill., Peotone High School
• Nathan Waldeck, Farmersville, Ill., Lincolnwood High School

The 2010-11 SIUC scholarship recipients include:

• Hunter Adams, Dewey, Ill., Saint Thomas More High School
• Lauren Arteman, Bellflower, Ill., Blue Ridge High School
• Ian Kessler, Ingraham, Ill., Clay City High School
• Nick Harre, Nashville, Ill., Kaskaskia College
• Rebecca Hoene, Neoga, Ill., Lake Land College
• Taylor Zurliene, New Baden, Ill., Kaskaskia College

Thanks to cooperation from land owners and operators, ISA’s Environmental Programs and Nature Conservancy in Iowa staff, along with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), have been using Rapid Assessment of Stream Conditions Along Length (RASCAL) to assess in-stream and near-stream environments of Iowa’s streams and rivers.  The RASCAL procedure and its results are intended to assist watershed groups in identifying priority areas for targeted conservation practices in and near streams and rivers.

Adam Kiel, Upper Des Moines and Raccoon River Basin coordinator with the IDNR, says RASCAL was developed five years ago.

“It was developed by the IDNR and IDALS-DCS to get a better handle on the physical conditions of streams in Iowa,” Kiel says. “The assessment is conducted using GPS-enabled handheld computers that store information based on the location in which it was collected.”

Examples of tools frequently used include:

• Tablet Computers for Watershed Assessment: About the size of a notebook, these computers can be taken out in the field to speed up the data recovery process. Data is electronically entered into the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) right in the field. It comes with GPS tracking and other software showing watershed assessment data, watershed boundaries, field boundaries and aerial color infrared photos. Users can mark the locations of existing conservation practices, gullies, adjacent land use, canopy cover and other points of interest. In-stream habitat, open feedlots, sediment basins, highly eroded areas, filter strips, terraces and more can be inventoried.
• Handheld GPS Units for Stream Assessment: Similar to the tablet, it assists with stream corridor and gully assessments. The GPS, with built-in GIS software, has one to three meter accuracy; it’s waterproof and drop-resistant with an all day battery and touch screen. Variables such as streambank stability, substrate, land cover and more can be logged to identify priority areas.
• Sediment Delivery Calculator: This computer-based tool from the IDNR simplifies the process of calculating sediment delivery reductions from conservation practices. It evaluates land cover types, soil erosion characteristics and landform region variables to calculate load restrictions achieved from implementing conservation practices.
• LiDAR: Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a process of scanning the earth with lasers from an airplane to obtain accurate evaluation data. LiDAR is accurate within eight inches of actual elevations, while current data has an accuracy of plus or minus five feet.

Before field surveys are conducted, permission must be granted by landowners. If granted, planning maps are developed to outline which stream segments will be assessed. Stream or river assessments are usually conducted on foot, or if possible, by boat or canoe, covering about three miles a day. Data are collected every 750 feet, and stream characteristics are summarized by segment.

“In the past, much emphasis has been placed on erosion and nutrient contribution from upland areas with little focus being placed on the stream channel itself,” Kiel says. “The RASCAL procedure helps watershed and water quality experts get a better handle on stream channel issues, such as streambank erosion and habitat loss.”

ISA’s Environmental Programs have been working with farmers in the Lyons, Buck and Lower Eagle sub-watersheds in the Boone River Watershed, and also the Fannys Branch and Willow Creek sub-watersheds in the Raccoon River Watershed.

ISA State Watershed Coordinator Todd Sutphin says over the decades, farmers have effectively cut erosion from fields and soil loss into waterways through conservation tillage practices, grassed waterways, buffer strips, contour farming and more upland practices. Yet, over many decades, sediment carrying phosphorous has accumulated in stream banks and beds. During extreme runoff events, this legacy phosphorous is re-suspended in the streams by stream bank slumping and scouring of streambeds. Therefore, strategies to address phosphorous in the water need to account for both effectiveness of upland conservation practices and stream corridor strategies.

“When you pull a water sample, especially during rain events when stream levels are higher, some watersheds are still experiencing high phosphorous levels,” Sutphin says. “A lot of this is the result of decades of soil loss that had already occurred, and much of the phosphorus rich sediments reside in the streambanks and streambed. When you get a high rain event and the streambed is churned up, or there is streambank erosion due to high flows, water samples collected during this period often show elevated phosphorus levels.

“In conducting the RASCAL, locations of eroding banks and concentrated flow, areas with limited bank vegetation and gullies are recorded, along with riparian zone cover and adjacent land use. The idea is to assess these conditions and isolate some of the high contributing areas to soil loss and try to implement strategies to address these concerns.”

Since RASCAL is conducted on private property, land owner cooperation is vital.

“Land owners have the option of walking with watershed experts as they conduct assessment,” Kiel says. “If a land owner decides they do not want the assessment conducted on their land, that section of stream will not be assessed.”

Kiel feels farmers may be interested to see what watershed experts have to say about a stream, both good and bad, as it flows through their property.

“Farmers should be commended for practices that promote a healthy stream system, but if problems are found, watershed experts can work with those land owners to find solutions through voluntary conservation practices, such as stream buffers or streambank stabilization.”

Keegan Kult, ISA watershed management specialist, says with land owner cooperation, the RASCAL will go a long way toward informing watershed planning, and will also strengthen chances of the watershed groups gaining additional funds to help pay for conservation practices. However, there is no silver bullet and integrated solutions must be implemented.

“There are numerous issues out there so it’s going to take a lot of different practices to address them all,” Kult says. “In order to achieve conservation goals and improve profitability, there have to be several complimentary practices working together. We can’t stop all soil erosion with just one practice, but with a multitude of practices, we can reduce the impacts of the soil erosion process.”

-Funded through the Soybean Checkoff

Director of Research, Iowa Soybean Association

Soybean aphid is the most significant above-ground pest that farmers face today.  Aphids reduce soybean yield and farmer profitability. They may even transmit viral diseases that can reduce seed quality at harvest. They’re born pregnant so populations can explode almost as quickly as you can turn your head.

Farmers could be facing another year of heavy aphid populations.  According to Matt O’Neal, Iowa State University soybean entomologist, he and his Midwest colleagues logged record numbers of aphids headed to overwintering sites in 2009.  “The numbers of aphids found on buckthorn last fall were so high that leaves were falling off the plant,” says O’Neal.  However, a follow-up visit to those same areas found very few eggs. “This is a bit of a mystery to us,” admits O’Neal. He also admits they’ve seen this before and if history repeats itself, farmers will be spraying for aphids in late July or early August.

“One well-timed foliar application applied after the aphid population exceeds the economic threshold will protect yield and increase profits in most situations,” says O’Neal.

Timing is very important, however.

“Adding insecticide to an early-season glyphosate application as ‘insurance’ doesn’t make sense, says David Ragsdale, University of Minnesota entomologist. Weeds need to be controlled early because they compete for water, nutrients and sunlight. Moreover, aphid populations don’t reach the economic threshold until much later.

The timing of a fungicide application may overlap with the management of soybean aphid. However, many fungicides are toxic to naturally occurring fungi that attack aphids and their use could lead to a subsequent increase in aphid numbers. Farmers who apply fungicide either alone or in a tank mix should monitor those fields for aphid population growth.

Photo: Iowa State University

Some marketing programs encourage the prophylactic use of fungicides and insecticides as a tactic for managing soybean. Although yield gains using this tactic have been recorded, the results have been inconsistent and thus the benefit this management tactic remains unclear. Ragsdale believes there is a better way.

“Aphid management requires multiple tactics,” states Ragsdale.  He advises farmers against becoming too reliant on the “quick fixes” when making management decisions. “Using multiple tactics including cultural, chemical, and biological control is the most effective aphid management plan for long-term, profitable soybean production,” he concludes.

Both Ragsdale and O’Neal recommend regular scouting and a 250-aphid-per-plant threshold for spraying to conserve the natural enemies that prey on aphids. Scout once or twice a week beginning in late June or early July, no later than the R1 (beginning bloom) soybean growth stage, and continue through pod fill. Pay particular attention to late-planted fields, or fields under moisture stress.

That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering results.  For more information on effective management of the soybean aphid access www.planthealth.info

-David Wright

-Funded through the Soybean Checkoff

Whether you have experienced any weed resistance to glyphosate herbicide treatments or not, weed specialists suggest soybean farmers consider spending a little more time on management in 2010.  Both marestail and waterhemp require more attention to keep them under control.

“We are already seeing a shift in practices, including more use of 2,4-D ahead of soybean planting to control resistant marestail, as well as more consideration for soil-applied herbicides to handle glyphosate-resistant waterhemp,” says Bryan Young, weed scientist at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIUC).  “If you want to manage for higher yields, you must do a better job managing glyphosate-resistant weeds.  Weed management will interact with other practices for increasing crop yields, such as fungicide and insecticide foliar sprays and seed treatments.”

Young and fellow weed specialists Aaron Hager and Robert Bellm from the University of Illinois helped develop a new, “Stop Glyphosate Resistance” brochure sponsored by SIUC, the University of Illinois, the National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) and the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA).  The brochure contains step-by-step details about how to control both glyphosate-resistant marestail and waterhemp in Illinois soybeans.  In addition, the brochure answers questions on how and why the control procedures were established.

“Education on glyphosate stewardship and management of problematic weed species is a significant part of the ISA Weed Managed Research Area (MRA).  Other research projects include development of weed control strategies for problematic weeds, increasing knowledge of target weeds, especially glyphosate-resistant biotypes, and the impact of agronomic practices on weed management,” Young says.  “More specifically, we are investigating tank mix partners with glyphosate, bioherbicide controls and such practices as soybean seeding rate and plant populations.”

For the 2010 season, Young recommends Illinois soybean farmers stick with the basics for effective weed control and scouting.  He advises always starting with a clean seedbed, although he warns that weather can play a role in seedbed preparation.  For no-tillers, that means using an effective burndown herbicide program.  For other tillage systems, make sure appropriate tillage is performed to kill all existing plants.  Some tillage tools do not completely remove all weeds in a single pass.

“Once you are in season and you have made a glyphosate application, monitor it for efficacy.  If you see any inconsistency in your weed control, you may need to alter your weed management strategy for the next year,” Young says.  “But chances are you are going to have to do something different, like try a soil-applied treatment.  More farmers may have to do this to achieve effective control.”

Finally, Young encourages farmers to make sure foliar herbicide applications are timely, whether in conventional production settings, Roundup Ready or Liberty Link programs.  Weeds should be treated at labeled rates and labeled heights to get the best control.

“We do want farmers to watch giant ragweed closely this season.  The weed has not been confirmed as glyphosate resistant in Illinois, but observations show giant ragweed is not being killed completely with glyphosate.  Report any suspicious glyphosate non-performance to local weed specialists,” he says.

-Funded through the Soybean Checkoff