COVER STORY | Funded by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Under the leadership of Abigail Peterson, ISA Director of Agronomy, the ISA Agronomy Team is changing the conversation when it comes to sustainability, carbon program best practices, and demanding more resources for farmers working toward climate resiliency. Meet the ISA Agronomy Team T By Betsy Osman he greatest constella- tion of talent, passion, and industry-bending achievement isn’t streaming on Hulu. It’s studying soil in Illinois fields. It’s meeting with farmers over conservation best practices. And it’s challenging our thinking about all things good, green, and growth-ensured. It’s the Agronomy Team at Illinois Soybean Association. This powerhouse, all-female cast is stacked with experiences contoured over acres, laborato- ries, classrooms and boardrooms. Their boots are muddy, their smarts are laser-sharp, and their hands that love mining earthy ter- rain are happiest to grab someone else’s to bring them along. At the helm of this threesome, you’ll find ISA Director of Agrono- my, Abigail Peterson. Meet Abigail Abigail Peterson earned a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Iowa State University where she went to work for the ISU Soils and USDA NLAE Laboratories 6 June 2022 learning soil test analysis on aggregate stability, pH testing, greenhouse gas testing, resi- due testing, soil extractions, soil carbon and nitrogen testing, soil compaction and water infiltra- tion. Her education at Iowa State led to a love of soil science and appreciation of soil functions. After she graduated, Peterson was accepted into the DuPont Pioneer Emerging Leader Pro- gram, stationed at a soybean production plant in Hedrick, Iowa. There Peterson trained with production agronomists Michael Fosdick and Lucas DeGroot on grower relations and agronomic decisions, and assisted with field inspections. “Studying beneath two of the industry’s most talented agrono- mists instilled in me a work ethic of complete dedication to farmer service and a passion to never stop growing my agronomic knowledge,” says Peterson. After working at the production level in Iowa, Peterson moved to Illinois to work for the National Corn Growers Association’s Soil Health Partnership Program. She worked as a Field Manager cov- ering Illinois and Missouri, gaining experience creating soil health transition plans, enrolling on-farm trials, collecting agronomic and economic field information, and spatial yield data. In this role, Pe- terson learned from farmers and experts across the state about the decision-making processes involved with cover crop applica- tions to conventional systems and the role of soil health testing. In May 2021, Peterson joined the Illinois Soybean Association. As Director of the Agronomy Team she’s responsible for direct- ing the advancement of soybean management systems to protect and improve soil productivity and water quality. Her main focus is on projects geared towards agro- nomic training with soil health systems, farmer relations and farmer programs. Says Megan Miller, ISA Agronomy Manager, “Working with Abigail is truly a joy. In her previous roles, she was responsi- ble for advising growers on high yield strategies and then was able to apply that same methodolo- gy to her recommendations for growers transitioning to con- Meet Megan Megan Miller grew up in Bartonville, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environ- mental Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Eastern Illinois University in 2014. Her undergrad- uate research focused on fungal ecology, which lead her to NC State University where she earned a Master of Science in Plant Pathology in 2016. Her master’s work focused on applied integrat- ed pest management strategies for a fungal pathogen of boxwood. During this program, Miller en- servation farming. Her previous work experience combined with the knowledge she has gained from working daily on her family’s farm gives her the ‘boots on the ground’ mindset that keeps our team grounded in the needs of the farmers and greatly benefits the programming at ISA. She is an amazing leader and is willing to ask the tough questions that are needed as we work to build the agronomy program at ISA. She also is very cognizant of the needs of her employees and works to make her team successful daily.”
