Soybean Innovation Lab

Soybean Innovation Lab The Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois advances soybean as a key feed, oil, and industrial crop in Sub-Saharan Africa.

With a network across 31 countries, SIL supports partners serving one of the region’s fastest-growing markets. The Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) focuses its efforts on four key research pillars that comprise the essential components of sustained production, improved livestock and household nutrition and sustainable market linkages for soybean development:

Pillar I: Genetic Improvement
Pillar II: Crop Productivity and Quality
Pillar III: Nutrition (Livestock and Human)
Pillar IV: Value Chains & Socio-Economic Research

To accomplish our mission SIL brings together leading U.S. and African soybean researchers, both natural and social scientists, to provide a sound research foundation to achieve the development to commercialization process of soybean in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). SIL’s approach is to listen and understand the needs of soybean practitioners, and then design activities that provide the answers that lead to success. Our technical experts cross the entire soybean value chain from germplasm management, seed systems and agronomic practice to storage, processing, nutrition, and value chain economics.

The Cost of Scaling the Wrong PracticesScaling soybean production is not only about expanding hectares. It is about expa...
03/12/2026

The Cost of Scaling the Wrong Practices

Scaling soybean production is not only about expanding hectares. It is about expanding the right practices.

When organizations scale unvalidated strategies, the consequences can include misallocated capital, lower farmer confidence, slower adoption, and missed market opportunities.

The real risk is continuing to scale without clarity.

How does your organization decide what to scale and what to avoid?

🔗 Share your perspective in this short form:
https://forms.gle/RRrhvtA9f8BFfXWo6

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Validated in the field. Built for confident decisions.

⚠️ Soybean rust reports increasing in parts of Southern AfricaRecent field observations and partner reports indicate tha...
03/11/2026

⚠️ Soybean rust reports increasing in parts of Southern Africa

Recent field observations and partner reports indicate that soybean rust is already appearing in some areas earlier than expected this season.

During recent farm visits, Dr. Harun Muthuri Murithi observed that some farmers initially believed the yellowing leaves were simply a sign that the crop was reaching maturity. By the time they realized it was soybean rust, the disease had already begun to spread.

“In some fields, farmers initially thought the rust symptoms were simply a sign that the crop was reaching maturity. By the time they realized it was a disease, the infection had already begun to spread.”

In another case, a farmer monitoring a sentinel plot shared:

“I started seeing rust symptoms in my sentinel plot and wasn’t sure what to do next.”

Soybean rust can reduce yields by up to 80% if not controlled early, making timely field monitoring critical during this stage of the season.

Programs like Soy Doctor™ help strengthen disease identification and response timing so teams can act before outbreaks escalate.

Early detection makes the difference.
🔗 Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/soydoctor-interestform

What happens when soybean rust spreads before teams are aware?Rust moves quickly. In some seasons, response windows are ...
03/10/2026

What happens when soybean rust spreads before teams are aware?

Rust moves quickly. In some seasons, response windows are measured in days, not weeks.

Without strong diagnostic readiness, symptoms may be underestimated and responses can come too late.

As one partner shared:

“Early detection of soybean rust allowed us to act quickly and apply the right fungicide at the right time to protect both yield and crop quality.”
— Alice Anyir, KALRO Njoro, Kenya

That difference is often not just knowledge.
It’s timing.

How early do your teams usually detect the first signs of soybean rust in the field?

Learn how the Soy Doctor™ Program helps teams act earlier and more consistently: https://tinyurl.com/soydoctor-interestform

Strong data does not always guarantee movement.In many organizations, products are ready — but decisions pause. Not beca...
03/03/2026

Strong data does not always guarantee movement.

In many organizations, products are ready — but decisions pause. Not because performance is weak, but because clarity is incomplete.

And over time, delay becomes a risk.

When clarity is achieved, action follows.

As seen in Zimbabwe, PAT supported the identification and registration of a high-performing soybean variety, accelerating release and delivering improved genetics to farmers.

If your registration plans feel stalled between seasons, it may be time to bring structure and clarity into the process.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/PATinterest

Why Input Decisions Become High-Risk DecisionsInput recommendations are often treated as simple agronomic choices.In pra...
02/26/2026

Why Input Decisions Become High-Risk Decisions

Input recommendations are often treated as simple agronomic choices.

In practice, they are financial decisions.

Without structured, field-based evidence:
• Costs rise
• Returns become unpredictable
• Alignment becomes harder
• Scaling slows

At this stage, the issue is no longer agronomy.
It is decision risk.

How does your organization evaluate input and investment decisions under real conditions?

🔗 Take 2 minutes to share your perspective: https://tinyurl.com/SMARTFarm-interestform
—
Validated in the field.
Built for confident decisions.

02/17/2026

From Individual Expertise to Organizational Reliability

When disease management depends on a few individuals, consistency becomes fragile.

As teams grow and operations expand, variability increases and risk follows.

Structured diagnostic systems reduce inconsistency and strengthen decision making across locations and seasons.

The Soy Doctor™ Program helps organizations move from individual dependence to operational readiness.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/soydoctor-interestform

Building Confidence Before the DecisionStrong soybean performance starts with good trials — but real confidence is built...
02/12/2026

Building Confidence Before the Decision

Strong soybean performance starts with good trials — but real confidence is built over time.

Across Africa, soybean decisions are becoming more complex: more environments, more partners, higher expectations, and greater stakes as varieties move closer to market.

That’s why the Pan-African Variety Trials™ (PAT™) were designed as more than individual field tests.

Through standardized protocols and regional comparison, PAT™ helps organizations build confidence gradually — season by season — before registration strategies are finalized and market commitments are made.

Because clarity is what allows organizations to move from confidence to action.

Learn more about participating in upcoming Pan-African Variety Trials™:
https://tinyurl.com/PATinterest

Or contact Eric Sedivy directly: esedivy2@illinois.edu

—
Validated by science. Built for market adoption.

When Yield Is Not the Real ProblemIn many soybean programs, low yields are treated as the main challenge.But often, the ...
02/05/2026

When Yield Is Not the Real Problem

In many soybean programs, low yields are treated as the main challenge.
But often, the real barrier is uncertainty.

Uncertainty about which practices perform under local conditions.
Uncertainty about whether added inputs will deliver real returns.
Uncertainty about what is worth scaling — and what is not.

This uncertainty delays decisions and slows progress toward profitability.

Before asking how to increase yields, a more important question must be answered:
How do we know what’s worth scaling before making large investments?

“The trials led us to question commonly held assumptions about soy agronomy.”
Pavel Kuzmenko - Director, Cottfield

If this reflects your experience, we’d like to hear from you.
Share your perspective: https://tinyurl.com/SMARTFarm-interestform

—
Validated in the field. Built for confident decisions.

01/16/2026

Are you ready to move a soybean variety from trials to market?

A lot of registration plans stall not because the variety isn’t strong, but because the evidence isn’t comparable and decision-ready across environments.

Quick self-check: Do you have…

✓ Performance data across multiple ecologies (not just one site)
✓ A dataset that regulators and partners trust
✓ A clear pathway from trial results to registration and market access
✓ Confidence to support licensing and commercialization decisions
✓ A coordinated process that stays consistent season after season

If any of these are missing, that gap can slow down registration and expansion.

In this short video, Eric Sedivy explains how PAT™ helps partners build readiness by connecting research, private sector, and regulatory institutions into one unified testing platform.

Take the next step to advance your variety registrations with PAT™. Complete this short interest form today: https://tinyurl.com/PATinterest

—

Validated by science. Built for market adoption.

Managing crop risk at scale requires more than seasonal decisions.As soybean operations grow, complexity increases — mor...
12/19/2025

Managing crop risk at scale requires more than seasonal decisions.

As soybean operations grow, complexity increases — more locations, larger teams, tighter timelines, and higher expectations from markets. In this context, relying on individual experience or ad-hoc decisions is no longer enough.

Organizations that perform consistently over time invest in:
✓ protect high-value seed and commercial production
✓ reduce operational uncertainty across locations
✓ detect and respond to disease threats earlier as conditions change
✓ support market-led growth without increasing risk

Strong field diagnostic readiness helps protect high-value seed and commercial production, reduce operational uncertainty, and support market-led growth without increasing risk.

That’s why leading agribusinesses treat diagnostic readiness not as a technical add-on, but as a core operational strategy.

📋 Interested in strengthening your organization’s diagnostic readiness?
Complete the Soy Doctor™ Interest Form: [https://tinyurl.com/soydoctor-interestform]

Connect directly with Dr. Harun Muthuri Murithi, one of Africa’s leading experts in soybean disease management.

—
Validated by science. Applied for field results.

Continual improvement comes to Nigerian soybean processors.The Soybean Innovation Lab’s (SIL) Soy 360°™ moves firms from...
12/18/2025

Continual improvement comes to Nigerian soybean processors.

The Soybean Innovation Lab’s (SIL) Soy 360°™ moves firms from theory to practice. Last week, SIL, in partnership with AOCS, USSEC, Zinpro, and USDA|FAS, engaged with 45 processors in Ibadan, Nigeria to identify practical opportunities for immediate efficiency and profitability gains.

Over five days, processors, facilitators, and partners focused on real operational decisions, not idealized scenarios. Discussions moved across edible oil extraction, refining, feed manufacturing, and quality systems, always grounded in what actually happens inside a plant.

A highlight of the week was a technical visit to the production floor at Premium Edible Oil Products Ltd., where concepts turned into concrete examples and everyday decisions became easier to frame.

By the end of the training, participants rated the value of their time at 9.8 out of 10, citing how immediately applicable the insights were.

Several themes consistently emerged:
• learning directly from experienced practitioners
• small, measurable improvements
• the value of seeing processes at scale

This is what Soy 360°™ is designed to deliver: not a one-off course, but a space where technical knowledge, peer exchange, and practical application come together.

As the program moves forward, SIL will continue working with processors and partners to help turn insights into action through future Soy 360°™ trainings and tailored, facility-level support.

👉 Interested in learning more about Soy 360°™ and ongoing technical engagement?
Contact the Soybean Innovation Lab at soybeaninnovationlab@illinois.edu
And subscribe to receive future updates and insights: [https://tinyurl.com/sil-news]

12/10/2025

Should U.S. growers look to Africa as the next big market?

Over the past few weeks, Peter Goldsmith and co-authors Guy Allen and Mike Doherty, partnered with farmdoc to publish a three-part series examining Africa’s growing food and oil demand, soybean import trends, and key country markets.

In this short video, Peter introduces the question behind the three-part series.

📩 Our latest newsletter brings the full picture together, highlighting key insights from all three articles and linking directly to each one.

🔗 Access the full series and key takeaways in our newsletter:
https://tinyurl.com/sil-newsletter-articles

Address

215 Mumford Hall 1301 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL
61801

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Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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(217) 333-7425

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