Research Highlights

North Central Region Annual Report Released, Director Retires

Highlights:

• The FY25 North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) annual report is now available online.
• The document includes a feature article on Ed Anderson, who retired as executive director, and introduces Joe McClure in this position.
• The report also contains summaries of the research projects funded in the fiscal year. 

By Carol Brown

The North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) has released their annual report for fiscal year 2025. The document contains summaries for each project the program funded in 2025, a budget breakdown, and letters from the board president and executive director.

Founded in 1992, the NCSRP has become a national leader in supporting research that crosses state, institutional and disciplinary boundaries. The NCSRP is funded through 13 Soy Checkoff boards: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin; and receives support from the United Soybean Board.

The board is comprised of farmer representatives from each of the states and who are connected with their respective state boards. These farmer leaders work with state staff and funded researchers to prioritize, conduct and communicate basic and applied production research on behalf of more than 350,000 soybean farmers in the region.

NCSRP projects funded in FY2025:

• Advancing Soybean Health: Field Trials to Decision Support Tools to Maximize Disease Management
• Boots on the Ground 2: AI-Driven Tools for Maximizing Soybean Yield and Profitability
• Management Tactics and Tools for Insect Pests in the North Central Region
• SoyGen3: Building Capacity to Increase Soybean Genetic Gain for Yield 
• SoyRenSeq: A Novel Approach for Disease Resistance Gene Discovery
• The SCN Coalition: A Checkoff-led, University-driven, Industry-supported Partnership Battling Soybean’s Biggest Underground Threat

Executive Director Retires

This annual report issue includes a feature on retiring Executive Director Ed Anderson, who has served in this position for a dozen years. He took on this role in 2013, in conjunction with duties as senior research director for Iowa Soybean Association, retiring from there in 2023.

“Thank you to the farmers on the board and across the region for enabling me and giving me the freedom to go and build these collaborations and partnerships on their behalf,” Anderson remarks. “I always tried to support the farmers and researchers in the soybean industry to bring value, maximize that value and return on their investment,” he says. 

For those he’s worked with and worked for, know his worth.

“I don’t think Ed gets the credit he deserves,” says Iowa Soybean Association CEO Kirk Leeds and Anderson’s former boss. “His passion and focus on improving the quality of soybean research funded by soybean farmers has resulted in great progress, and more importantly, the impact of his contributions will help ensure even greater results in the years to come.”

In addition to funding research projects in the region, Anderson is proud of the strides that were made within the research community. 

“I enjoyed assembling the eight state soybean and small grain research centers across the country to meet periodically, share ideas and find innovative opportunities to work together,” says Anderson. “I’m very proud of the collaborations with the United Soybean Board. I feel we developed more trust, rapport and partnership; and of the U.S. Soybean Research Collaborative that we started, and led by Katherine Drake Stowe, who now continues to do this work as part of USB.”

Anderson leaves big shoes to fill but his successor brings his own management experience to the NCSRP board. Joe McClure steps into the Executive Director role for NCSRP and will continue his duties as Chief Officer for the Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) at Iowa Soybean Association. His announcement is also in the annual report pages.

The FY2025 NCSRP Annual Report can be found on the NCSRP website.

Additional Resources

SCN Coalition Helps Farmers Fight Relentless Pest – SRIN article

White Mold ROI Calculator Available for North Central Farmers – SRIN article 

Soybean Gall Midge Fight Continues – SRIN article

Searching for Soybean Tentiform Leafminer Control Methods – SRIN article

Finding Answers to Strengthen the Fight Against Soybean Pests – SRIN article

Published: Feb 23, 2026