This article originally appeared in the October 2025 edition of Illinois Field & Bean magazine.

Deciding what soybean production projects to fund through the Illinois Soybean Checkoff is never taken lightly. Every year, your farmer-led board takes a careful, science-based approach to investing checkoff dollars where they matter most: back into your fields. 

The process begins with listening. Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) staff survey farmers across the state, gather input from agronomists, and consult with research partners to identify the most pressing production challenges. This year, the Soybean Production Committee reviewed more than 45 research proposals—digging into the details of each one to evaluate how it could deliver real results for Illinois soybean farmers. From there, 20 projects earned funding for Fiscal Year 2026 (September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026). 

These investments span weed management, soil health, disease pressures like soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and red crown rot, cover crop systems, and collaborations that expand Illinois research through regional and national partnerships. 

At the end of the day, your checkoff dollars fuel the research needed to answer questions, refine recommendations, and create new opportunities for your farm's profitability and stewardship. Here's a closer look at where your dollars are going this year:  

FY26 Funded Research Highlights: 

• Measuring Soil Health, Water Quality, and Climate Impact on Illinois Soybeans – Assessing soil health, nutrient loss, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emissions across cropping systems.

• Residue Management and Nutrient Value for Soybean Production – Tracking nitrogen and sulfur release from residue and evaluating tillage and biological effects.

• Evaluation of a Targeted Conservation Plan in the Lake Bloomington Watershed – Identifying nutrient loss hot spots and supporting adoption of cover crops.

• Integrated Management Strategies for Maximizing Soybean Production in Conservation Tillage Systems – Studying soil type, tillage, row spacing, and fertilizer impacts on yield.

• Refining Cover Crop Recommendations for Corn-Soybean Rotations Based on Species and Timing – Comparing species mixtures and termination timing for regional guidance.

• Evaluating the Impact of Cover Crops on Lesion Nematodes in Soybeans – Studying how cover crops influence nematode populations and soybean yield.

• Bioherbicides to Control Palmer Amaranth and Waterhemp in Soybeans – Developing targeted, sustainable weed control options.

• Using Integrated Weed Management to Control Waterhemp in Soybeans – Combining cover crops, herbicides, and tillage to control herbicide-resistant waterhemp

• Managing Weeds in Early-Planted No-Till Soybeans – Evaluate PRE and POST herbicide programs, with and without cereal rye, for weed control in early-planted no-till soybeans

• Using Genetic Engineering to Help Control Soybean Cyst Nematode – Exploring CRISPR and other tools to reduce SCN reproduction and survival.

• Diversifying Genetic Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode – Developing new soybean varieties with stacked SCN resistance genes.

• Using Electrically Polarized Nanomaterials to Help Control SCN and SDS in Soybeans – Testing a novel tool against two key soybean diseases.

• Free Soybean Cyst Nematode Testing for Illinois Farmers – Providing no-cost soil sampling to detect SCN and resistance responses.

• Red Crown Rot Management in Soybeans – Detecting hotspots with satellite imagery, testing management products, and studying the interaction between RCR and SCN.

• Measuring How Insect Pests Impact Yields and the Value of Pest Control Products – Identifying which pests affect yield and which treatments pay off.

• Enhancing the Profitability of Wheat-Soybean Double Cropping – Developing earlier-maturing wheat to support higher-yield double-crop soybeans.

• Improving Soybean Protein Quality Through Genetic and Environmental Characterization – Identifying stable, high-protein genotypes for feed and food markets.

• Evaluating Leaf Nutrient Tissue Testing and Relation to Soybean Grain Yield – Determining how nutrients move within plants to fine-tune in-season recommendations.

• North Central Soybean Research Program – Supporting multi-state research and outreach across the Midwest.

• U.S. Soybean Genetics Collaborative – Building alignment and advancing public soybean breeding and genetics programs.

We encourage you to stay connected: read project updates in Illinois Field & Bean, subscribe to Field Advisor.org for in-season updates, and attend the Field Advisor Forum this winter to hear directly from researchers. Most importantly—keep asking questions. Your voice shapes the direction of soybean research in Illinois.