Newsletter January 2026
January 20, 2026
ISRC Celebrates Founding Director, Welcomes Co-Directors
Front row, from left, ISRC’s Jill Cornelis, Steve Whitham, Greg Tylka, IAC farmer representative Morey Hill and ISRC’s Steve May. Back row, ISRC’s Kara Berg, Ag Ingenuity’s Allen Chen, ISRC’s Mark Licht, ISA’s Joe McClure and Inari’s Gene Kassmeyer.
The ISRC held a leadership reception on December 12, 2025, to thank founding ISRC Director Greg Tylka for his years of service in leading the center and to officially welcome new ISRC Co-Directors Mark Licht and Steve Whitham.
While Tylka is stepping away from the role of center director, he will continue to be an ISRC faculty research affiliate. He is excited for the opportunity to focus more on his first love, soybean cyst nematode (SCN) research as Morrill Professor of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State. Tylka helped found the center in 2014 at the direction of leadership from the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) and Iowa State University to partner with industry and Iowa’s soybean farmers to leverage support and coordination of soybean research and educational activities at Iowa State. In its 11 years of existence, the center has provided more than $3 million in soybean research funding and has funded more than 26 projects, many of which have gone on to secure federal funding or additional funding from the ISA, USB, NCSRP and other commodity organizations. Full article
David Cook Named President of Iowa State University
On November 11, 2025, North Dakota State University President and Iowa State University alum David Cook was named Iowa State University’s 17th president by Iowa’s Board of Regents. He succeeds President Wendy Wintersteen and will officially start on March 1, 2026.
Cook, an Ames native, earned his bachelor's degree in political science and speech communication from Iowa State in 1992. He earned master's and doctoral degrees, both in organizational communication, from the University of Kansas where he spent most of his professional career in a variety of leadership roles before his selection as President of North Dakota State University in 2022. More details can be found on the ISU News Service website.
ISU President Reflects on Legacy of Serving Iowa Agriculture
ISU President Wendy Wintersteen retired on January 2nd after more than 46 years working at Iowa State University. In an interview with Bethany Baratta of the Iowa Soybean Association, Wintersteen talked about the importance of ISU’s partnership with ISA, her plans for retirement and her parting words to Iowa farmers.
Wintersteen cited the Iowa Soybean Research Center as an example of the partnership between the organizations. “I can think of many examples where Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa State University have really worked together to serve Iowa’s farmers. One example is the Iowa Soybean Research Center. Funded in part by the Iowa Soybean Association and housed at Iowa State University 11 years ago, the center has provided $3.3 million to researchers here at ISU. It’s a great mechanism to identify and fund critical issues,” said Wintersteen. The full interview is available on ISA’s website.
ISRC Affiliates Provide Latest Research, Insights at ICM Conference
ISU Extension and Outreach hosted the 36th Integrated Crop Management Conference at the Meadows Event Center in Altoona, IA on December 10 and 11, 2025. More than 475 farmers, exhibitors, agronomists and researchers attended the conference, of which the ISRC is a supporting sponsor.
Several ISRC faculty research affiliates offered their expertise on a wide variety of topics during the two-day conference, presenting their latest research findings and offering the most up-to-date crop management recommendations.
ISRC Directors End Year with Speaking Engagements
The end of 2025 was a busy time for speaking engagements for the ISRC directors. ISRC Co-director Steve Whitham, who is also Co-director of the Bioengineering Center at ISU, provided an overview on CRISPR and its impact on the future of crop yields at the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives Annual Meeting on November 25 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny. ISRC affiliate and economist Chad Hart provided an economic outlook at the same meeting.
United Soybean Board Funds 2026 ISU Research Projects
The United Soybean Board approved $3.5 million in research funding to support 13 projects involving ISU researchers for fiscal year 2026. A list of the projects that involve ISRC faculty affiliates serving as PI (principal investigator) or co-PI can be found here.
Get to Know IAC Rep: Brett Miller, Syngenta
Brett Miller is the regional head of crop protection field development for Syngenta Crop Protection where he leads a team of 12 field scientists and staff in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois in developing new and innovative solutions for crop protection. Miller’s team is working on solutions for weed, insect and plant disease management, as well as biologicals and biostimulants, from discovery through commercialization on all crops but predominantly corn, soybean and wheat.
ISRC Researcher Spotlight: Katherine Dentzman
ISRC faculty research affiliate Katherine Dentzman, is a rural sociologist and assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. Her research program studies the human side of sustainable agricultural systems by investigating how farmers’ demographics and social and cultural factors influence their perspectives on crop management practices.
ISA Highlights Dr. Tylka’s SCN Research
Founding ISRC Director, Greg Tylka, was interviewed last fall by the Iowa Soybean Association for a State of Soy episode. The video titled, “The man that battles the $1.5 billion pest problem,” can be viewed via ISA’s website.
Tylka is also featured in the January 2026 issue of the ISA’s Iowa Soybean Review.
Crop Advantage Series Meetings Being Held in January
Crop Advantage meetings are being held at multiple locations across Iowa in January. The gatherings provide a solid foundation of current, research-based crop production information to help make smart, informed decisions in the farming operation. Continuing education credits and private pesticide applicator instruction will be offered. For more information, visit the Crop Advantage Series website.
CropsTV Season 6 Now Available
It’s not too late to subscribe to view Season 6 of CropsTV. Episodes, which are available on-demand now through April 15, 2026. Programming contains topics selected to best fit an online learning environment with supplemental materials and links to resources. Instructors are ISU faculty, staff, extension specialists and guest presenters from around the Midwest. Continuing education credits are available.
For a list of topics and to subscribe, visit the CropsTV website.
Mosher Receives Marvin Pomerantz Award
In October 2025, ISRC faculty research affiliate Gretchen Mosher, agricultural and biosystems engineering, received the Marvin A. Pomerantz Award for Faculty Enrichment for 2025-2026. The award supports faculty deemed outstanding in their position responsibilities, which may encompass teaching, research, service, professional practice, and/or outreach and extension.
Archontoulis Named CSSA Fellow, Highly Cited Researcher
ISRC faculty research affiliate Sotirios Archontoulis, agronomy, was named a 2025 Fellow by the Crop Science Society of America. He was honored at the society’s annual meeting in November 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Also, Archontoulis was recently recognized as one of three ISU faculty members named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list, a global recognition honoring scholars whose work ranks in the top one percent most cited in their fields over the past decade. Clarivate is a British American analytics company that provides data, insights, and workflow solutions to the academic, life sciences, and intellectual property (IP) sectors.
Whitham Marks 25 Years at Iowa State
December 1, 2025, marked ISRC Co-Director and Professor of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology Steve Whitham's 25th year at ISU! Congratulations! He will be honored as a 25 Year Club Member at a reception on April 14.
Upcoming Events
January 6-April 15, 2026: CropsTV - Season 6
January 6-29, 2026: Crop Advantage Series
February 25-27, 2026: Commodity Classic, San Antonio, TX
Each Wednesday at Noon: Iowa Learning Farms Webinars
Keep up with what’s new at the ISRC on LinkedIn and X.
