Suzanne Shirbroun grows corn and soybeans on her sixth-generation farm in northeast Iowa. She has been an NCSRP board member since 2017 and is the current vice-president. She and her husband, Joe, have three boys. One son is farming with them — the seventh generation to farm their land. She and Joe have implemented many conservation practices including no-till, cover crops, contour rows and grassed waterways. Suzanne holds an agronomy degree from Iowa State University.
Ohio board representative David Clark grows corn, soybeans and wheat with his parents on their fifth-generation family farm. Located between Dayton and Cincinnati, they farm 3,200 acres in a county with one of the fastest-growing populations in the state. David holds a materials science and engineering degree from Purdue University. He worked for several years in Information Technology before returning to the farm.
A board member since 2019, Matt Wagenson grows 1,000 acres each of soybeans and corn on his farm in northeastern Wisconsin. He also has a 400-head cattle operation. He and his wife, Elisha, have two young children, Lia and Jack.
Nick Harre joined the NCSRP board in 2019. He farms with his dad, brother, uncle, and two cousins in southern Illinois where they milk registered Holstein cattle and grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa. Nick’s passion for agricultural research has led him to obtain M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Weed Science. He resides in Nashville, Illinois, with his wife and one son.
Roger Bommer is a newcomer to the NCSRP board and has been a director with the Indiana Soybean Alliance for seven years. He currently farms approximately 900 acres of corn and soybeans with his son, Darren, in southeastern Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University in 1971 and ran a 200-head dairy operation on the farm since then until a few years ago. Roger previously served for 14 years as president for the Franklin County Farm Bureau and is now an assistant supervisor for the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Ron Ohlde has been a NCSRP board member since 2010. He farms with his sons growing soybeans, wheat, sorghum, canola, triticale, and alfalfa in northern Kansas. He also has a cow-calf background and finish operation as well as a family seed business. He and his wife, Anita, have two sons and two daughters, 12 grandchildren ranging from 4-months-old to 13, with another on the way. Ron is currently on the Kansas Soybean Commission board and served on the United Soybean Board for nine years.
Steve Koeman joined the NCSRP board in 2024. He operates the family farm in western Michigan with his father, growing crops and contract finishing hogs. Steve and his wife, Shelly, have five daughters ranging in age from 15 to 23. He served on the Michigan Soybean Committee for nine years before coming to NCSRP.
Gene Stoel returns to the NCSRP board to represent Minnesota. He served several terms on the board since 2007 and is a former vice president and president. Stoel farms 2,000 acres with his son, growing corn, soybeans, hay and small grains. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for more than 40 years and have a son and daughter. Gene also served four years on the United Soybean Board.
Justin Rone has been involved with farming nearly his entire life, growing up on the family farm in Missouri’s bootheel. He and his wife, parents, sister, and brother-in-law are all involved in the farming operation. They grow soybeans, cotton, rice, corn and wheat. Justin spent a few years away from the farm, earning an agricultural economics degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia, and a J.D. at Washington and Lee School of Law, Lexington, Virginia. He worked in ag policy in Washington, D.C., for seven years before returning to the farm in 2012. Justin is also a board member on the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and serves on several local community boards. He and his wife, Lesley, have two young children.
Mike Tomes grows corn and soybeans on the family farm near Utica with his wife, Dawn, and two sons. Mike and Dawn also have five children not involved with the farm. Their operation includes irrigated crops on a mix of no-till and strip-tilled acres. They have harvested seed corn for more than 30 years and recently added a poultry operation. Mike is a newly appointed Nebraska Soybean Board director as well as NCSRP representative. In addition to farming, Mike also operates a crop insurance business.
Michael Schlosser grew up on a farm in southeast North Dakota. He attended North Dakota State University, worked as an agronomist after graduating, then took a job in Hawaii as a prefoundation corn operations supervisor. He now farms back in North Dakota with his father and grows mostly corn and soybeans and is also a seed representative for Bayer. He has five young children with his wife, Erica.
Adam Schettler joined the NCSRP board in 2024. He and his wife, Lauren, have been farming in western Pennsylvania, near Renfrew, for about seven years after purchasing his uncle’s and grandparents’ farms. They grow soybeans, corn, occasionally wheat, and have added pumpkins and sweet corn to the mix. Both Adam and Lauren are certified crop advisors. Adam is a district sales manager for a fertilizer company and Lauren works for a local cooperative. This is Adam’s first term on the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.
Heather Beaner grew up on her family farm in northeastern South Dakota but didn’t initially set out to become a farmer. After college and law school, she served for 12 years on active duty in the U.S Air Force as a military attorney. In 2011, Heather transferred to the Air Force Reserves and moved back home to get married and begin taking over the family farm from her father. Currently, Heather farms while her husband, Matt, works full-time. The couple has one son. Heather grows corn and soybeans while her semi-retired father helps out seasonally. Heather joined the NCSRP board in August 2019.
Ed serves as executive director of the North Central Soybean Research Program and collaborates with land grant universities, the United Soybean Board, other state and regional soybean boards, and a variety of soybean and agricultural industry groups to leverage resources to improve soybean performance and production, and enhance the competitiveness of soybean farmers. A native Iowan, this life-long Cardinals fan earned his Ph.D. in molecular plant virology from the University of Missouri.