(Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Kuboushek)
Rural Route 2: The view from beneath the surface
March 2, 2026 | Bethany Baratta
“Turn your head a little bit more to the right and put your chin on that plastic rest,” the optometrist guided me during a recent visit. “Now move closer until you see that green light.”
I found the light, then braced for the burst of brightness. It was like staring at the sun for a millisecond. I repeated the process until the Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanner captured a full mapping of my eyes — revealing the intricate structures I could never see in a mirror.
In the next room, I squinted through the routine exam, wondering if “Picture 1” really looked better than “Picture 2,” or if the sleep deprivation of parenthood was just winning. Within minutes, the doctor pulled up the OCT results. She explained that the machine bounces invisible light off the tissues to create 3D, cross-sectional images. By comparing today’s scan to last year’s, she could see the health of my optic nerves long before I’d ever feel a symptom.
As she scrolled through the scans, it hit me: This machine does for my eyes what the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) team and the precision technology on your acres do for your farm.
The bags under my eyes that morning were visible to anyone, but I couldn’t see the “roots” behind the lens. Your fields are much the same. You can observe your soybean plants and tell if they look healthy, but what is happening below the surface? What do those roots tell you about your nutrient uptake and the overall soil health?
This is where the Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) comes in. Think of our researchers as the optometrists for your fields. Just as a specialist is a vital part of your personal health team, the RCFI staff works alongside you to interpret the data you can’t see with the naked eye.
Coupled with this issue of the Iowa Soybean Review is the 2025 Insights Report. Like my annual eye scan, this report offers a snapshot of the work the RCFI team completed this past crop year. It’s a data-driven look at research from the field, including checkoff-supported research conducted through Iowa State University.
We couldn’t fit every project from 2025 into these pages — there simply isn’t enough paper — but this report provides the “high-resolution scan” you need to see past the surface. As you soon head to the field to plan, I encourage you to lean on this data. After all, the best way to protect your fields and potential harvest is to understand the parts we don’t.
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