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The Bean Scene
The Bean Scene is a monthly podcast hosted by Maxwell Schaeffer that goes beyond the headlines to find the stories worth telling—the farmers, thinkers and emerging voices shaping the future of Iowa’s soybean industry. Every episode blends personal storytelling with timely industry insights.
Join us to explore where Iowa soy meets life. Expect candid conversations with farmers creating real on-farm solutions, leaders making an impact across the soybean industry and voices you haven't heard yet. Whether you're a farmer, an ag professional or just someone curious about where food, fuel and innovation come from—there's something here for you.
The Bean Scene is proudly brought to you by the Iowa Soybean Association and the soybean checkoff, with new episodes dropping the first Tuesday of every month.
Episodes
6 episodes
Paws, Planes and Precision Farming with Paws & Pints, Lee Brooke and Joe McClure
What do a dog park in Des Moines, a conference room in Colombia and a strip trial in Greene County all have in common? Soy innovation.Katie Dunlap of Paws & Pints opens the episode with a tour of Des Moines' beloved canine social ret...
Soy at Play with Dr. Dirk Maier, the Iowa Cubs and Agronomist Troy Deutmeyer
It's the start of summer in Iowa—the fields are growing, the ballparks are full and soybeans are doing more work than most people realize. Dr. Dirk Maier of the ISU Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex kicks of this episode by w...
Bean to Breakfast with Erik Lightner, Craig Rowles and the Waveland Cafe
It’s National Egg Month — and on The Bean Scene, we’re following the journey of an Iowa soybean from the field to an egg on your breakfast plate.Erik Lightner, former CEO of Platinum Crush, opens the episode from one of Iowa’s n...
BONUS: The Soybean Checkoff Story
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the soybean checkoff, we’re bringing you a bonus episode of The Bean Scene! In this episode, Jerry Slocum shares the story behind how the soybean checkoff began.Jerry is a fifth-generat...
Combine Karaoke and Farm-to-Pizza with April Hemmes, Chloe Zittergruen and Tom Halverson
In this inaugural episode of The Bean Scene, hear from three leaders who are shaping the future of the soybean industry. Tom Halverson, CEO of CoBank, kicks off the episode with a breakdown of the structural economic shifts farmers are...
