While he may not always be the loudest or most talkative voice in the room, when Brad Sennhenn speaks, people listen. But the quiet and reserved farmer from south-central Wisconsin is looking to bust out of his shell. Brad and his wife, Kayla, hope to do just that by representing the Wisconsin Soybean Association (WSA) as participants in the 2024-25 American Soybean Association (ASA) Corteva Agriscience Young Leaders Program.  

Brad Sennhenn is a part-owner of his family’s dairy farm, Sennview Dairy, in Columbus, which is about 30 miles north of Madison. Along with the cattle, they raise soybeans, corn, alfalfa and sorghum. In recent years, the Sennhenns have expanded their soybean acres for a better crop rotation and to reduce disease pressure.  

“We’ve had some rootworm issues in recent years, so we hope this will help with that and potentially increase our yields,” Sennhenn said. “Plus, it breaks up the harvest a little bit as well.” 

Sennhenn first heard about the ASA Young Leaders program through his neighbor down the road, Danny Brisky, who graduated from the 2023-24 Class. 

“He thought it would be something I would enjoy, and I was looking to get off the farm a little bit to broaden my knowledge of the industry,” Sennhenn said. “I’d like to be a voice for the people in my area and help ensure a profitable future for Wisconsin farmers.” 

As a past Young Leader, Brisky knew what could be gained through the course and was confident his neighbor would benefit from a chance to blossom. 

“I thought it would be a good fit for him,” said Brisky, who was selected to participate in the third portion of the program, which led to an opportunity to tour Capitol Hill with fellow WSA directors. “He’s a little bit more quiet and reserved, but incredibly smart, so I felt this would be a good opportunity for him to break out of his shell and his comfort zone.” 

Good to go 

In early December, Sennhenn participated in the first phase of the program at Corteva’s Global Business Center in Johnston, Iowa. One of his main goals during the first part of this program was to converse with as many fellow Young Leaders as he could.  

“My wife thinks this program will be good for me, so she challenged me to meet new people, which I was able to do,” Sennhenn said. “As part of our training during phase one, we learned how to communicate effectively with other people with different personalities, which will also benefit me even more in the future.” 

While in Iowa, participants from across ASA’s member states also learned more about the trade industry, toured the Corteva research facility and engaged in media training. 

“We had some news anchors come in and give us some basic tips on how to be a good interview subject, how to help get the conversation going and how to answer questions,” Sennhenn said. “We had a to give a presentation, too, which I found was much easier once I got to know everyone in the room.” 

The experience so far has been very humbling for Sennhenn, who admits to having to take a step back at one point while in Iowa to soak it all in. 

“It’s such an honor to be selected and included in this group,” Sennhenn said. “I was looking around the room and there’s folks from Nebraska and Louisiana. I really hope to learn more about how they farm and how it differs from us here in Wisconsin.” 

The Program’s next phase continues in late February when Sennhenn will head to Commodity Classic. During that session, Brad is looking forward to taking a deeper dive into farm-policy advocacy.  

“I’m looking forward to learning more about our messaging and how to properly relay that message in either Madison or Washington, D.C.,” Sennhenn said. “While I follow politics, I don’t claim to be a politician, but I would like to know more about what’s going on inside their head.” 

Sennhenn will join WSA directors for his first board meeting Feb. 6 at 10:30 a.m. during WSA’s annual meeting at Wisconsin Corn·Soy Expo. He’s also excited to make his debut appearance at Corn·Soy Expo. 

“There’s a first time for everything,” he said. “I’m eager to meet the board and learn more about what’s ahead for 2025.”  

The Young Leader Program was founded in 1984 and continues to set the bar for leadership training in agriculture, identifying and training new, innovative and engaged growers to serve as the voice of the American farmer. It also helps participants to build a strong peer network, generating increased success in their businesses and communities. Many graduates of this training program from Wisconsin have grown into leadership roles at the state and national soybean levels. The leadership program is also supported by the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board and the soy checkoff.