Brian Strasser honored with 2025 New Leader Award

October 1, 2025 | Bethany Baratta

When fifth-generation farmer Brian Strasser returned to farming in 2013, he joined the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) as a member. Since then, he’s expanded his involvement through policy and programming, learning more about the industry and the association.

A recent award ceremony noted just how much he’s leaned into ISA experiences. Strasser earned the Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) New Leader Award. Presented by Corteva, the New Leader Award recognizes an ISA member who has recently expanded their involvement in ISA programming and demonstrated outstanding leadership in their community and/or state.

Passion for policy

Eight years after he first joined ISA, fellow farmer and then-ISA District 9 Director Pat Swanson nudged Strasser to explore opportunities within the organization. He found his connection through ISA’s Grassroots Fellowship.

"That program really opened the door," he says. "We focused on policy, traveled to Washington, D.C., and lobbied on behalf of the Iowa soybean farmers. It showed me the value of speaking up as farmers and of helping influence the people writing the rules."

That experience ignited a passion for policy. Strasser has remained deeply engaged in ISA’s policy development efforts for more than three years, lending his voice as he and other farmers help shape the association’s stance on critical issues.

"We all have to do our part," he says. "I can bring more to the table than just a farmer’s perspective. I’ve walked in the worlds of business, tech and agriculture. That makes me more effective when engaging with policy, customers and peers."

Through ISA’s Experience Class, Strasser saw how ports and crush plants are an integral part of the global soybean supply chain.

"You see exactly where your soybeans go and how they get used," he says. "It changes how you think about your role in the bigger picture."

Back to the farm

After earning his degree in computer science at Indian Hills Community College, Strasser launched a career as a computer programmer, spending nearly a decade in the tech industry. When a position at Sinclair Tractor in Kalona opened, it was a chance to connect his technology and ag experiences.

"I cut my teeth inside the technology industry," he says. "Knowing the big picture of agriculture — from John Deere products to precision technology, to agronomics, to my own farm — I could relate and pull it all together. This experience has been an advantage in working with farmers."

Since then, he’s joined Advanced Agrilytics as an interim regional sales manager. He works directly with farmers in various stages of data collection, using technology to enable farmers to be more efficient.

Strasser lives and farms with his wife and children near Homestead on the same land once belonging to his grandfather and mother. They grow soybeans and corn and also raise pigs. Twelve years after he returned to the farm and joined ISA, he remains driven by the people in agriculture, including those he’s met on his journey with ISA.

"ISA has great people at the leadership level, and I look forward to furthering my involvement with the association. Those involved seem to be down to earth and want to get stuff done," Strasser says.

Looking ahead, he plans to expand his involvement in the association by exploring more of ISA’s conservation and research opportunities.

"A lot of organizations are just about meetings over coffee and talking," Strasser adds. "ISA wants to further their benefit for Iowa farmers, and they truly believe in their mission and purpose."

Written by Bethany Baratta.

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