Le Mars, Iowa — A northwest Iowa extension agronomist who we talk to quite often on KIWA has received a statewide honor from the Iowa Soybean Association.
Young leaders, long-time environmental stewards, and dedicated agriculture advocates were recognized by the Iowa Soybean Association during their annual awards banquet held last week in Ankeny.
The Friend of the Iowa Soybean Farmer Award, sponsored by Cargill, was presented to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Agronomist Joel DeJong for his support of the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa soybean farmers. The association says it’s for his “consistent actions and efforts.” They say that DeJong has more than 35 years of experience working closely with farmers on integrated management of pest populations, crop management issues and nutrient and manure management planning. They say DeJong provides information to producers on proper nutrient and pest management practices and oversees annual pesticide applicator continuing education sessions. The Iowa Soybean Association goes on to say that DeJong authors a monthly newsletter on timely topics for farmers in northwest Iowa, and has served on the association’s Research Advisory Council for several years, providing “valuable input from what he was hearing from farmers in the fields.” They say DeJong also routinely invites the Iowa Soybean Association to have a presence at meetings and events and helps the association identify key contacts in northwest Iowa.
We asked DeJong how he felt about receiving the award.
DeJong is based at the Plymouth County Extension Office in Le Mars and covers several northwest Iowa counties.
