Iowa Soybean Review: Iowa Soybean Association Magazine History, Coverage and Editor
Profile updated November 2026
The Iowa Soybean Review is the monthly magazine of the Iowa Soybean Association, mailed 12 times a year to every farmer who pays into the Iowa soybean checkoff, nearly 37,500 producers. Its first issue appeared in November 1989, and in 2024 it marked 35 years of covering soybean markets, research, policy and the people who grow the crop.
| First issue | November 1989 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Iowa Soybean Association |
| Headquarters | 1255 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy., Ankeny, Iowa |
| Frequency | 12 issues a year |
| Circulation | Mailed to nearly 37,500 Iowa soybean checkoff payers |
| Editor | Bethany Baratta |
| Official website | IASoybeans.com: Iowa Soybean Review |
History of Iowa Soybean Review
The Iowa Soybean Review launched in November 1989. Its first issue carried a column by Allen Johnson, then executive director of the Iowa Soybean Association, laying out what the magazine would cover: domestic and international markets, promotion and development programs, research, Iowa and national legislation, ISA membership and soybean education. The cover featured Gerald Grant, an ISA member from Nevada, Iowa. The same issue noted the hiring of Kirk Leeds as a central Iowa field representative; Leeds was named ISA's chief executive in 1992.
The magazine grew alongside the crop. Iowa produced 314 million bushels of soybeans in 1989 and 573 million bushels in 2023, figures editor Bethany Baratta cited in her 35th-anniversary Rural Route 2 column in November 2024. That same month the Iowa Soybean Association marked its own 60th anniversary. The Review is printed with soy-based ink.
Iowa Soybean Review Today
ISA describes the Review as a source of cutting-edge and often exclusive information to help Iowa soybean farmers run more profitable operations. Monthly issues from January 2025 through November 2026 are listed on the association's website, and digital editions are posted on Issuu.
Articles on the magazine's site are filed under topics including Ag Awareness, Animal Ag, Biodiesel, Economics, Exports, Farmer Health, Membership, New Uses, Policy, Production Research, Transportation and Weather. ISA, governed by 22 volunteer farmer-directors, named Lee Brooke president in November 2026.
What Iowa Soybean Review Is Publishing Now
Production research
ISA's on-farm research and agronomy findings, environmental stewardship and conservation practices are core content for checkoff payers.
Markets and new uses
The Review follows exports, transportation, biodiesel, soyfoods and other new uses that build demand for Iowa soybeans.
Rural Route 2 and member news
Editor Bethany Baratta's Rural Route 2 column, policy updates and coverage of ISA leadership programs such as the Soy Leaders Network and Young Leader Program round out each issue.
Iowa Soybean Review Editors and Staff
The Iowa Soybean Association's magazine pages and anniversary coverage name:
- Bethany Baratta - Editor, Iowa Soybean Review
- Lee Brooke - President, Iowa Soybean Association (named November 2026)
- Kirk Leeds - Longtime ISA chief executive, named CEO in 1992
- Allen Johnson - Former ISA executive director, wrote the first issue's column (1989)
Readers can reach the magazine through the Iowa Soybean Association in Ankeny at 515-251-8640.
Who Reads Iowa Soybean Review
Every Iowa farmer who pays into the soybean checkoff receives the Review, making it one of the widest-reaching commodity magazines in the Corn Belt. Farmers who market at least 250 bushels of soybeans a year can also join ISA as members. Iowa ranks among the top soybean states, and USDA's Census of Agriculture and Quick Stats databases track the acreage and production that the magazine's readers manage.
Thirty-five years of Iowa Soybean Review readers have weathered droughts, trade wars and the occasional soybean aphid invasion with remarkable calm. For the moments when a laugh helps more than a market report, farm.FM serves farm satire and farm humor about life in bean country, plus ranch humor for Iowa's cattle feeders. Its farm jokes are best read after harvest, when there is finally time.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
Iowa Soybean Review Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Iowa Soybean Association: Iowa Soybean Review - the magazine's home page and issue list.
- Rural Route 2: Thirty-five years and counting - the editor's history of the first issue in 1989.
- Issuu: Iowa Soybean Review, December 2025 - a recent digital edition.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - federal data on Iowa soybean farms.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - state and county soybean acreage and yields.
Iowa Soybean Review FAQ
When did the Iowa Soybean Review start?
The first issue was published in November 1989.
Who receives the Iowa Soybean Review?
It is mailed to every farmer who pays into the Iowa soybean checkoff, nearly 37,500 producers.
How often is the Iowa Soybean Review published?
Twelve times a year.
Who edits the Iowa Soybean Review?
Bethany Baratta is the editor and writes the Rural Route 2 column.
From a 1989 debut to a monthly reaching nearly every Iowa soybean grower, the Iowa Soybean Review remains the Iowa Soybean Association's main line to the farm.