From the research frontier to the field: Purdue’s soybean community reimagined
Not even a morning rainstorm could keep a crowd out of Purdue’s soybean fields on Thursday, July 17 at the 2025 Soybean Showcase. Among the young pods and pink blossoms, farmers, College of Agriculture students, alumni and faculty, local reporters, industry professionals and other curious agriculturists gathered at the Beck Agricultural Center to learn about the most recent, cutting-edge science protecting one of Indiana’s and America’s most important crops.
Soybeans, which contain all the essential amino acids humans need, are used in everything from miso and cooking oil to animal feed and biofuel. Indiana growers harvested 5.78 million acres of soybeans in 2024, adding $3.55 billion to the economy.
Ron Turco, associate dean of Purdue’s College of Agriculture and the director of Agriculture Research Graduate Education, called this event the “Renewal of the Purdue Soybean Community.”
Soybeans are playing more than a role in food and feed. Their potential in biofuels could have major impacts in Indiana, America and world economics. Purdue is uniquely situated to research this.”
- Ron Turco, associate dean of Purdue’s College of Agriculture and the director of Agriculture Research Graduate Education
Katy Rainey, a professor of agronomy and director of the Purdue Soybean Center, which organized the field day, said that while the increase in soybean yield has been steady, the seeds for producers have become more expensive.
For academia to help fill that gap and increase the productivity, nutritional content and resistance to adverse conditions and disease, Rainey said, “We need private partnerships now more than ever.”
The Purdue Soybean Showcase kickstarted those discussions and brought together all the sectors of agriculture to build partnerships and community. Posters and graduate students lined the hallways to explain their latest research findings to industry scientists and producers alike. More than 200 attendees visited the Agronomy Center for Research and Education fields in the morning, where they learned from Purdue faculty members who are leading soybean innovations. The day ended with presentations from faculty about the future of soybeans, economic predictions, translational genetics and remote sensing.
The presentations represent research projects funded by USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), Purdue Extension, research via the Smith-Lever and Hatch Act support, private company support, and Indiana’s Farmer-generated checkoff dollars, via multiple projects supported by the Indiana Soybean Alliance.
Faculty enjoyed the enthusiastic crowd and the questions they brought with them. Jianxin Ma, the Indiana Soybean Alliance endowed chair in soybean improvement and professor of agronomy, said, “The end user of our research is farmers. This is a great opportunity for us at Purdue to show what we are doing for productivity and environmental resilience.”
Pam Robertson and her brother Dave Gephart of Gephart Farms came together for different reasons. While both eager to learn and network with other agriculturists, Gephart was also getting credits for his private applicators license. Robertson, however, said she was returning to her roots by joining the Purdue soybean community.
It’s really interesting to hear the research behind how my dad and brother plant. My father used to go to the Purdue Agriculture Showcase years ago and found camaraderie within it, and now I’m following his legacy.”
- Pam Robertson, Gephart Farms
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