Science Saves the Harvest
September 26, 2025
10 a.m.-10:45 a.m. (ET)
Middle and high school science teachers: Show your students how STEM saves Ohio’s most valuable crop. When Ohio’s soybean fields need optimizing for maximum yield, agricultural scientists use chemistry and data analysis to find solutions. Join Jonah Johnson (PCT Sales Agronomist) and others LIVE from Sunrise Cooperative for this 45-minute trip to see how STEM experts study soybean growth and improve crop production through scientific methods. They will guide students through real agricultural research and answer questions live.
Even if you cannot attend live, you may register to receive the recording!
Students will discover how researchers:
- Monitor soybean growth stages in Ohio
- Use chemistry to optimize fertilizers, soil pH & nutrient availability
- Analyze field data to determine which inputs produce the highest yields
- Apply scientific methods to improve soybean production & protect crops
Students will:
- Know…how soybeans grow & mature in Ohio
- Understand…how chemistry can improve soybean growth & yield
- Be able to…analyze data to determine the impact of crop inputs on soybean growth & yield
Perfect for classes studying:
- Plant growth & development stages
- Chemical reactions & nutrient cycling
- Data analysis & agricultural research methods
- Environmental factors affecting crop production
- Agricultural science & food production systems
- B.DI: DIVERSITY AND INTERDEPENDENCE OF LIFE, B.DI.3: Loss of Diversity, Anthropocene effects
- ENV.ER.4: Soil and land, Land use and land management (including food production, agriculture and zoning)
- ENV.GP: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES, ENV.GP.7: Food production and availability
This virtual field trip is brought to classrooms at no cost by Ohio soybean farmers and the Ohio Soybean Council.
GrowNextGen
Backed by funding from Ohio soybean farmers and their checkoff program, GrowNextGen brings agriculture science to the classroom by providing real-world educational tools to engage the next generation workforce.
Ohio Soybean Council
The Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) was founded in 1991 to manage the Soybean Promotion and Research Program – more commonly known as the soybean checkoff. Ohio soybean farmers pay one half of one percent of the bushel price to the soybean checkoff when they sell soybeans. OSC collects those funds and sends half to its national affiliate, the United Soybean Board. The other half remains in Ohio and is invested under the direction of a board of soybean farmers from around the state who are elected by their peers. The program’s primary goal is to improve soybean profitability by targeting research and development, education and promotion projects through the investment of farmer-contributed funds OSC farmer leaders review and, as necessary, revise the organizational strategic plan. This process helps OSC stay ahead of market trends in order to make the best short and long-term investment decisions on behalf of Ohio soybean farmers.
