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.

In a time of low commodity prices, late season soybean disease management is important as growers make decisions to help reduce plant stress and potentially increase or simply preserve soybean yield potential. Equally important is knowing when a treatment is no longer necessary and when it may actually be a waste of money and time. Diseases such as septoria brown spot, downy mildew, white mold, and many other foliar diseases such as frog eye leaf spot can often be observed as the long hot summer days fade into cooler fall weather. Dr. Horacio-Lopez Nicora, OSU Extension Soybean Pathologist and Nematologist visits with Dusty to discuss the current growing conditions in Ohio's soybean fields, and factors that growers should consider before making a late season fungicide application to their crop. They also discuss the great resources available to farmers at the Crop Protection Network.

Red Crown Rot has officially been confirmed in Ohio. Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora joins Dusty on this special episode to discuss the finding and what it means to Ohio soybean growers going forward. They discuss what is known about the disease, basic management strategies moving forward, and how Ohio farmers can submit soybean plant samples for free testing and identification thanks to the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Check-off.

When life gives you lemons, it has been said that the best thing you can do is to make lemonade. That is exactly what Sheldon and Samantha Miller of Ottawa County have done on their farm after a Tornado in 2023 destroyed their home and buildings, and they continue to do as they navigate the many challenges and opportunities in production agriculture. Dusty visits with Sheldon and Samantha on this episode of the Ohio Field Leader Podcast at the latest stop of the Ohio Field Leader Roadshow. The Ohio Field Leader is a product of the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Check-off.

On Episode 58 of the Ohio Field Leader Podcast, Dusty visits with Jon, Joe, Tim and Tyler Everett of Everett Farms in Shelby County. The brothers and their sons have been farming many of the same acres for generations, and the unique thing is that the absentee landlords are also multi-generational as the land has been handed down over the years. Establishing and continuing to develop their landlord relationships and stewarding the ground has been a key to their success. They also discuss the unique aspects of having two families and multiple generations farming together and what it takes to make it all work.

In this podcast episode the Ohio Field Leader Roadshow made a stop in Morrow County at the farm of Ray Van Horn. Dusty and Ray discuss the current planting season, and unique aspects of farming some of the gently rolling clay soils around Mt. Gilead. They also discuss the important role of agricultural commodity organizations and the value of building relationships to foster trade around the world from a combine seat in Ohio.