In Episode 69, Dusty visits with Dan Schwartz of Schwarts Farms in Trumbull County. The Schwartz family has been exporting food grade soybeans to the Japanese market since the late 1990's. Today they not only export their own beans, but also those of several farms that they contract with.

Dusty and Dan discuss the history of Schwartz Farms and the family members that make things happen today, along with the special relationships that have been developed with the processors in Japan.

In Episode 68, Dusty visits with soybean researchers involved in the Science for Success program. Science for Success provides timely, cutting-edge best management practices by coordinating the unified soybean check-off funded research efforts of over 20 land grant universities.

One challenge that soybean growers face has been referred to as the "Hidden Hunger". Potassium (K) recommendations are currently based on soil sampling and the Tri-State Fertiliity Guide. Research is now working on tissue testing for K deficiencies in-season to build a data set for making management decisions.

Dr. Laura Lindsey, OSU Extension Soybean and Small Grains Specialist, Carrie Ortel, Virginia Tech Soybean Agronomist, and Taylor Dill, Ohio Soybean Council Director of Research make-up a panel and join Dusty to share the latest effforts.

From Red Crown Rot to Brown Stem Rot to Sudden Death Syndrome, Ohio soybean farmers have their work cut out for them as they scout fields and attempt to identify the diseases causing stress to their crops. Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora, OSU Extension Soybean Pathologist and Nematologist visits with Dusty Sonnenberg to reviw the 2025 growing season and Ohio's first positive identification of Red Crown Rot in the state. Dr. Lopez-Nicora shares about the environmental conditions that favor disease, and what plant and leaf symptoms soybean growers should be on the look out for in 2026. They also discuss the reseach being done by OSU Extension into these diseases thanks to financial support from the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Check-off.

Taylor Dill was recently named Director of Research for the Ohio Soybean Council. Dusty visits with Taylor to discuss what led her to this role with the OSC and more about her background in agriculture. They also discuss some of the current research being funded by the soybean check-off and future plans to help drive value back to farmers from the investments of the soybean check-off.

On the first episode of the OFL Podcast for 2026, Dusty travels with the Ohio Field Leader Roadshow to Clark County. Dusty visits with Brian, Jennifer, Lane and Aidan Harbage at Harbage Farms. The Harbage family is the 7th and 8th generation of the family on the farm that raises soybeans, corn, wheat and hay, as well as having a cattle feed lot and cow calf operation. They also own and operate Fat Hen Farmhouse which sells beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs and honey, all of which are produced on their farm and sold direct to consumers. Dusty and the family talk about their heritage and growth of the farm over the years, the addition of the direct to consumer business, and overcoming a barn fire and loss of equipment in the past year. They also take a look to the future for Harbage Farms and opportunities for Lane and Aidan going forward.

For two decades Tom Fontana has been at the forefront of Ohio soybean research and educational initiatives for the Ohio Soybean Council. Working with land grant university and industry researchers, as well as school educators all across the state and country, Tom has seen the industry through a number of exciting changes. Dusty and Tom take a look back at the last 20 years of Tom's career and some of the milestone programs, as well as a look to the future and what may be on the horizon for Ohio Soy.

While we do not often think about soybean farmers in Ontario, Canada, the challenges they experience are often very similar to ours in Ohio. Much can be shared and learned from one another. Agronomic pests and diseases do not stop with state or country borders. In this episode of The Ohio Field Leader Podcast, Dusty had a chance to visit with Albert Tenuta, Extension Plant Pathologist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness at the University of Guelph. Tenuta also works closely with the Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) Coalition. They discuss the similarities and differences in soybean production and diseases in the two countries, and how by working together through the SCN Coalition, farmers on both sides of the border can benefit.

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is the most destructive pathogen of soybeans in the United States with annual yield losses due to SCN estimated at more than $1 billion. Yield losses caused by SCN are often underestimated because the nematode can be present in fields without causing any noticeable aboveground symptoms. In an effort to increase soybean farmers' awareness of soybean cyst nematode, the SCN Coalition is naming October 6, 2025, National Nematode Day.

Recently members of the SCN Coalition met in Columbus, Ohio to discuss the latest research and updates on their current initiatives. On this episode of the Ohio Field Leader Podcast Greg Tylka, Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Iowa State University; Geroge Bird, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University; and Albert Tenuta, Extension Plant Pathologist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness at the University of Guelph all joined the Ohio Field Leader to discuss the origins of the SCN Coalition and share their vision for the future.