Twelve years ago, Rochelle Krusemark went for it.  

“I really hadn’t thought about getting involved with the commodity organizations,” said Krusemark, who represented District 8 on the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) for over a decade. “But I went home and talked about it with my husband and he said, ‘Go for it.’” 

It all started with the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership program (MARL). After graduating with MARL Class 6, Krusemark was asked to speak to MSR&PC, a steadfast supporter of the program, about her experience. Her speech led to then-Council Chair Paul Simonsen putting out feelers to see if she’d consider joining the board. 

On June 16, Krusemark attended her final Council meeting as a director before her fourth term wraps on July 1, 2026. Her colleagues celebrated her dedication to checkoff stewardship and presented her with an outgoing award. 

“You become so passionate,” Krusemark said. “All of the partnerships and new products we’ve developed are so exciting. And it seems like there’s always more to do.” 

Throughout her tenure, Krusemark has had a front row seat to several innovative projects that have had an impact on the soy industry. 

“What I’ve learned from all of this is that things move pretty slowly,” Krusemark said. “And at the same time, while it might seem to move slowly, in the realm of the big picture it seems like it was only two or three years ago.” 

Naturally, a few checkoff endeavors stand out in Krusemark’s mind.  

“I remember doing the feasibility study for the St. Lawrence Seaway and trying to decide if that was a good way to invest our funds,” Krusemark said. “It’s fun to finally see that coming around.” 

Krusemark took her leadership to the next level when she represented MSR&PC on U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action and the United Soybean Board. Her forward-thinking inclination led to an unprecedented collaboration that eventually sparked MSR&PC’s “Driving Soy” and “Stepping Up” campaigns.  

“I got to be involved in the early stages of replacing the petroleum in tires with soybean oil with Goodyear,” Krusemark said. “And now we see it in our Skechers tennis shoes just because I was kind of a smart aleck and sarcastically said, ‘Well, what else can this rubber be used for?’” 

At the beginning of Krusemark’s three terms on MSR&PC, soymeal was king. Now, in 2026, soybean oil rules the roost and soy checkoff projects have shifted focus in an effort to “move the pile.” 

“Priorities change due to a lot of different circumstances,” Krusemark said. “When I started on the Council, soymeal was the driver of the market and soy oil was a byproduct. That’s flipped now, and we’re scrambling to try to find new uses for soymeal. I think that has changed our focus more than anything in the last few years.” 

As a stalwart champion for Minnesota soybean growers, Krusemark leaves big shoes to fill, MSR&PC CEO Tom Sluneckas said.  

“Rochelle possesses one of those rare characteristics of leaders in that she’s always willing to volunteer her time and put her thoughts into the ideas that the board is considering,” Slunecka said. “Rochelle was always vocal, making sure that all ideas were exposed and discussed before decisions were made.” 

Though she’s stepping down from the MSR&PC board, Krusemark will continue to represent Minnesota on the U.S. Meat Export Federation. It’s a fitting pairing for a farmer from Martin County, one of the nation’s largest pork-producing counties in the country.  

“I’ve always appreciated the livestock side and, let’s face it, if we don’t have a livestock market, we’re not going to sell any soybeans,” Krusemark said. “It’s really important to promote whatever consumes our soybeans and see how we can work together as commodity groups to enhance profitability across the board.”  

With countless hours volunteered on behalf of Minnesota soybean growers, Rochelle will miss the personal and professional growth being on the board afforded her. 

“It’s been good,” Krusemark said. “I like to learn something new every day and there’s never been a day that I wasn’t able to learn something. And the people, including the staff, have been wonderful.”