(Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek)
Rural Route 2: A year of connection
January 6, 2026 | Bethany Baratta
A new monthly calendar adorns my desk at the Iowa Soybean Association. It's a reminder of the all that lies ahead — 365 new pages to write. It's a book of blank spaces to fill with farm visits, interviews, trips to the zoo and celebrations with family.
It's also the first month — one that tests our willpower as we attempt to turn good intentions into habits. This year, I'm focusing on building connections and becoming more involved in my community.
I got a head start this past year as I joined the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) at our son's school. I became more involved in our church. I helped my husband coach our son's soccer team (well, he coached and I cheered and tried to keep the boys focused during 17 practices and eight games).
Beyond my city limits, I want to be more connected to you, the farmers. I want to learn more about you, your family and your farm. I want to sit around your kitchen table and see the photos of your earliest memories there. I want to see how your eyes light up when you talk about what makes you the most proud. I want to walk around your farm with you, meet your farm dog (or cat), and see your livestock, the areas you've improved or hear your dreams of what you hope it might look like someday. I want to hear you — really hear you — as you talk about the worries that keep you up at night. I want to gather in your shop to see what you're tinkering with and hear the stories about the farm that raised you (I always want the long version of each story).
Perhaps you, too, intend to be more connected this year. If that's the case, let this be an invitation to join the Iowa Soybean Association by activating your no-cost farmer membership. Interested in how you can improve some areas of your field that weren't as productive in 2025? Connect with our Research Center for Farming Innovation. Want to be in-the-know on the latest policy developments and be a part of developing ISA's policy guidebook? Join as an ISA Advocate member. Want to know more about ISA or the soybean industry in Iowa? Call the ISA producer services team to get connected to a program that fits your schedule and interests.
Let's make 2026 the year of connections — to ISA and to each other. I'd love to put your farm on one of my calendar squares this year. Drop me a line or give me a call and let's connect.
Bethany Baratta
1255 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy.
Ankeny, IA 50023
bbaratta@iasoybeans.com
515-334-1020
Happy New Year!
Written by Bethany Baratta.
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