You couldn’t ask for better weather. 

This was the sentiment of the majority of the golfers at the second annual Beck’s Soybean Classic, hosted by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, which teed off June 30 at the Marshall Golf Club.  

While the wind could be gusty, some attendees remarked that a steady breeze helped keep the bugs away. All in all, it was a beautiful day for golf. Best of all, industry partners came together to support MSGA’s advocacy efforts to protect crop inputs.  

Twenty teams participated in the tournament, including familiar faces from both MSGA and the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council. Council Director Tom Frisch sponsored a hole and played a round with his family. MSGA President Darin Johnson and Vice President Ryan Mackenthun each drove around visiting with golfers and sponsors. Past President Bob Worth was also on the grounds.  

“We’re very lucky to have the industry sponsors that we do, that allow us to advocate here and in D.C.,” Johnson said.  

Various holes provided small games and prizes, along with big ticket prizes for the winners. Beck’s, the title sponsor, provided a patio set to the winner of the chipping contest, and donated a grill and a pizza oven to the silent auction. North Risk Partners sponsored a hole-in-one contest, pledging to provide $10,000 to the first to sink a shot on the hole – unfortunately no one did.   

MSGA extends its gratitude to Beck’s and the many other event sponsors: 

• Profinium 

• Visit Marshall 

• Marshall Radio 

• Dakota Access 

• Minnesota Farmers Union 

• Lockwood Motors 

• Bennett Government Consulting 

• Duerr Government Affairs, LLC 

• HM Auction Group 

• MSR&PC 

• Firle Ag Solutions 

• First Independent Bank 

• MN Soybean Processors 

• Runnings 

• Lyon County Corn & Soybean Association 

Stay tuned in the months ahead for more details on the 2026 Becks’s Soybean Classic. In the meantime, MSGA is turning its focus to its next golf event, the Biodiesel Open Aug. 18 in Hutchinson. Click here to register.