The Bean Scene

By Iowa Soybean Association

The Bean Scene is a monthly podcast hosted by Maxwell Schaeffer that goes beyond the headlines to find the stories worth telling—the farmers, thinkers and emerging voices shaping the futur

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FAQs about The Bean Scene:

How many episodes does The Bean Scene have?

The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.

The Bean Scene episodes:

September 22, 2026 The Future of Agriculture at Iowa State University with President David Cook
What does a university president have in common with an Iowa farmer? Both are constantly thinking about what comes next. As harvest gets underway and a new semester begins, the conversation around education, agriculture and the future takes on new meaning.
As the 2026 fall semester begins, Dr. David Cook returns to Iowa State University, this time as the university's 17th president. An Ames native and Iowa State alumnus, Cook joins The Bean Scene to talk about what it means to return home and where the university is headed. He shares how ISU is preparing students for an agriculture industry shaped by technology, data, entrepreneurship and changing workforce needs, along with why the land-grant mission still matters.
Cook also discusses Iowa State University's long-standing partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association, including the Iowa Soybean Research Center and the creation of soy-based asphalt. Learn how collaboration among farmers, researchers and industry leaders is helping shape the future of agriculture.
The Bean Scene is brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
19min
September 08, 2026 Food Questions to Classroom Lessons - Influencing Iowa's Ag Literacy
How can we help consumers better understand agriculture? Sometimes it starts with a question about food, other times, it starts with a lesson in a classroom.
At the Iowa State Fair, Lydia Zerby of the Iowa Food & Family Project shares how the organization creates opportunities for consumers to connect with farmers, ask questions and learn more about how food is grown and raised. We then meet Kelly Foss of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, who takes us into Iowa schools, where teachers are using agriculture to bring subjects like science, math and social studies to life for students.
Together, these conversations show that agricultural education doesn’t happen in just one place or at one age. Ag literacy grows when people have meaningful ways to connect what they eat, learn and experience every day back to the farm.
The Bean Scene is brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
26min
August 04, 2026 Rewriting Iowa's Water Quality Story with Des Moines and Central Iowa Water Works, Rebekah Jones and Patrick White
August is National Water Quality Month, and we are celebrating by exploring an often-overlooked part of Iowa's water story: urban and rural collaboration. This episode follows Iowa's water upstream — from the treatment plant in Des Moines to the farm and back again — through conversations with the people working to rewrite Iowa's water quality story.
We start with Tami Madsen of Central Iowa Water Works and Amy Kahler of Des Moines Water Works to unpack the challenges of providing safe drinking water for a growing region. Their conversation breaks down the water treatment process and the role everyone plays in protecting Iowa's water.
Then, Rebekah Jones of the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance discusses how conservation looks different on every farm and the tools helping producers get started. Discover how businesses and commodity organizations are supporting Iowa's water quality through farmer-centric programs.
We close with Patrick White, a northwest Iowa farmer whose family's long-term investment in soil health shows how conservation can strengthen both the land and the bottom line while enhancing water quality for all Iowans.
The Bean Scene is brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
49min
July 07, 2026 Paws, Planes and Precision Farming with Paws & Pints, Lee Brooke and Joe McClure
What do a dog park in Des Moines, a conference room in Colombia and a strip trial in Greene County all have in common? Soy innovation.
Katie Dunlap of Paws & Pints opens the episode with a tour of Des Moines' beloved canine social retreat, where SYNLawn synthetic turf with a soy-based backing has survived hundreds of dogs a day and is still going strong after four years. Then, Aaron Putze checks in from downtown Bogotá, where Iowa Soybean Association President-Elect Lee Brooke joined an AGP trade mission to meet with the three largest feed producers in Colombia.
We close with Joe McClure, chief officer of ISA's Research Center for Farming Innovation, whose team is running an AI-driven field trial across Iowa—pitting a decade of agronomic data against farmer intuition, and asking whether a machine can out-farm a farmer. (Spoiler: it can help one!) We'll also explore the Farm to River Partnership—an innovative program helping farmers and landowners install conservation practices at no cost in western Iowa.
The Bean Scene is brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
40min
June 02, 2026 Soy at Play with Dr. Dirk Maier, the Iowa Cubs and Agronomist Troy Deutmeyer
It's the start of summer in Iowa—the fields are growing, the ballparks are full and soybeans are doing more work than most people realize.
Dr. Dirk Maier of the ISU Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex kicks of this episode by walking us through a first-of-its-kind university facility that trains the next generation of feed professionals—and is now piloting a high oleic soybean project tied to a major dairy expansion coming to central Iowa.
We then head to Principal Park where the Iowa Cubs are showcasing the connection between America's favorite pastime and agriculture. Elly Simpson takes us on a tour of Principal Park, where soy shows up in the seats, the outfield wall, the paint and every fryer on the concourse.
Rounding out the episode, Pioneer Field Agronomist Troy Deutmeyer joins us remotely from east-central Iowa with a real-time read on field conditions and why a record number of farmers are running on-farm trials this season.
The Bean Scene is brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
31min
May 05, 2026 Bean to Breakfast with Erik Lightner, Craig Rowles and the Waveland Cafe
It’s National Egg Month — and on The Bean Scene, we’re following the journey of an Iowa soybean from the field to an egg on your breakfast plate.
Erik Lightner, former CEO of Platinum Crush, opens the episode from one of Iowa’s newest soybean processing facilities in Alta, where over 40 million bushels of soybeans are crushed each year into the meal, oil and fiber products that feed Iowa’s livestock — including laying hens. Dr. Craig Rowles, VP of Strategic Projects at Versova Management Cooperative, breaks down just how much soy goes into egg production — and why Iowa’s soybean farmers and egg producers are more intertwined than either may realize. And David Stone, owner of the Waveland Cafe in Des Moines, gives us a peek behind the counter of a 40-year breakfast institution — including the secret behind their famous hashbrowns. Spoiler: soybean oil is involved!
The Bean Scene is brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
32min
April 28, 2026 BONUS: The Soybean Checkoff Story
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the soybean checkoff, we’re bringing you a bonus episode of The Bean Scene! In this episode, Jerry Slocum shares the story behind how the soybean checkoff began.
Jerry is a fifth-generation farmer from Coldwater, Mississippi, a grain elevator operator and founding director of the United Soybean Board. As the soybean checkoff celebrates its 35th anniversary, Jerry reflects on what it took to build it — from the drought of 1988 that galvanized the movement, to the spring 1989 American Soybean Association delegate meeting in St. Louis that set it in motion, to the national program that launched in 1991 and changed the industry forever.
This episode is about the long game — the people who invested in markets that didn't exist yet, built institutions that outlasted them and showed up even when the answer seemed to be no.
The Bean Scene is proudly brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and powered by the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
11min
April 07, 2026 Combine Karaoke and Farm-to-Pizza with April Hemmes, Chloe Zittergruen and Tom Halverson
In this inaugural episode of The Bean Scene, hear from three leaders who are shaping the future of the soybean industry. Tom Halverson, CEO of CoBank, kicks off the episode with a breakdown of the structural economic shifts farmers are facing. Then meet April Hemmes, a Hampton-area farmer and former Iowa Soybean Association and United Soybean Board director, who shares how she built a platform to represent soybean farmers around the world. She talks about life on her family’s century farm and shares stories from her viral combine karaoke videos. To round out the episode, Iowa FFA State President Chloe Zittergruen demonstrates how youth are shaping the future of agriculture—including bridging urban and rural divides through a farm-to-pizza activity.
This is an episode about people and the future of the soybean industry. It highlights the farmers who lead by example and the young leaders who are ensuring agriculture has a voice around the world.
The Bean Scene is proudly brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and powered by the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
36min
March 31, 2026 Introducing The Bean Scene
Welcome to The Bean Scene podcast! Brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff, this podcast shares the stories of the farmers, leaders and innovators shaping the soybean industry. Join host Maxwell Schaeffer to hear the unique voices shaping agriculture, stay up to date on industry news and discover how Iowa soybeans impact daily life.
Check out new episodes of The Bean Scene on the first Tuesday of every month to discover where Iowa soy meets life.
This episode of The Bean Scene was brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and funded by the soybean checkoff.
Have a question or comment you want to share?
Leave us a short voice message!
About the Iowa Soybean Association:
The Iowa Soybean Association was created by Iowa's farmers in 1964 and is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research, timely information and know-how and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the industry to flourish.
Stay Connected:
To learn more about the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean industry, visit: https://www.iasoybeans.com
Facebook: Iowa Soybean Association
Instagram: @iowasoybean
LinkedIn: Iowa Soybean Association
X: @IowaSoybeans
YouTube: Iowa Soybean Association
...more
1min

FAQs about The Bean Scene:

How many episodes does The Bean Scene have?

The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.