It was an event not to be missed.

MN Ag Expo, held Jan. 17-18, 2024, brought growers and agriculture industry representatives together from across the area for two days of learning and networking opportunities. As an event sponsor, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) was out in full force, shining a light on the many ways Council investments improve the soybean – and agriculture – industry.  

“As always, MN Ag Expo was a hit,” said MSR&PC Vice Chair Gail Donkers. “I look forward to this event every year, and it never disappoints. Expo is a wonderful opportunity for the agriculture industry to come together and continue to better the industry that we care about so much.”

Front and center on the trade show floor, MSR&PC debuted its “Behind the Dollar” campaign with a memory matching game. By matching pictures related to Council investments, players learned about the numerous ways MSR&PC is investing checkoff dollars to increase the profitability of Minnesota’s nearly 28,000 soybean growers. For example, when a player correctly matched two pictures of soybean gall midge, a short blurb explaining the Council’s investment in pest management research appeared on the screen. The “Behind the Dollar” campaign will run throughout 2024.

“The ‘Behind the Dollar’ matching game was a brilliant addition to this year’s booth,” Donkers said. “No matter their age, everyone who stopped by the booth was excited to play. It was a great way to showcase the many ways MSR&PC is investing Minnesota soybean checkoff dollars.”

Additionally, in continuation of the augmented reality technology featured at Farmfest, the Council hosted a scavenger hunt throughout the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, where Expo took place. By finding all of the QR codes correlating to five future farmer decals and filling in the missing blank on their scavenger sheet, participants were entered to win a prize.

“MN Ag Expo is an excellent platform for MSR&PC to spread our message to Minnesota farmers,” said MSR&PC Executive Director Tom Slunecka. “Our organization is continuously finding creative ways to serve soybean growers and adapt our strategy for the future of agriculture.”

During the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association’s annual meeting, Donkers named fellow Director Rochelle Krusemark the Council’s Director of the Year.

“With her passion for education and sustainability, Rochelle is a strong, vocal advocate for our industry,” Donkers said. “It is a fact that the Council and the soy checkoff have benefited from Rochelle’s insights during her years of leadership. We’re grateful for her ongoing service to our organization and industry.”

As the sun set on Thursday afternoon and the trade show floor buzz wound down, the Minnesota agriculture community went home bursting with new knowledge, new ideas and new friends. As for MSR&PC, the organization is already looking forward to ag’s future –and the 2025 MN Ag Expo.