Not every state can boast that there is a soybean superstar cruising up and down its highways – but Wisconsin can shout it from the rooftops.  

A soybean and small grain specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Shawn Conley has spent over two decades executing research projects that directly benefit Wisconsin producers. Over the course of an illustrious career, Conley has become a pillar of the Wisconsin soybean industry.  

“Along with his expertise, the number one thing Shawn brings to the state is his ability to bring things back to the farm level and explain things so that our growers get a big impact,” said Patrick Mullooly, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB). “He’s just a great individual to work with.” 

Raised on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, it wasn’t Conley’s original intention to be in soy’s spotlight. 

“I went to UW-Madison to be a vet student, and my grades were awful because I did not study,” Conley said. “So, I took a semester off to find myself.” 

Eventually, soybeans found him. After graduating with an undergraduate and graduate degree from UW Madison as a weed scientist, Conley stumbled into a soybean PhD program. 

“I went into my first PhD committee meeting thinking I was going to work on potatoes,” Conley recalled. “Three hours later, I came out working on soybeans.” 

The rest is history. 

Coolbeans! 

The life of a soybean researcher might not always be glamorous, but with WSMB’s support, Conley is making soybeans cool again through his “Coolbean” Extension program webpage. It’s via this platform that Conley relays his wealth of soybean knowledge. 

“My information is unbiased,” Conley said. “I’m not serving anyone except growers. I think that helps me, as a researcher, maintain and increase my credibility.” 

Conley’s slogan – “Coolbeans!” – might seem like a throwback, but his research approach is futuristic. With roughly 80 percent of his research funded by checkoff dollars, Conley focuses on applied research that farmers can implement on their operations. 

“I’m looking out five to 20 years to see how soybeans are going to change both industry-wise and also the regulatory process,” Conley said. “What do I need to be doing research-wise to make sure farmers are prepared for what’s coming down the pipeline?” 

Not only has Conley’s work gone viral amongst Wisconsin soybean growers, but the quality and value of his work is recognized by his peers. Recently, Conley’s research paper “Corn and soybean planting order decisions impact farm gross revenue” was selected as the 2024 Outstanding Paper in the Crop Management Section of Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management. 

“What do you plant first? It’s a simple question and when we looked in the literature, I was shocked to find there was no research,” Conley said. “We can show as much as $40,000 extra profit for a farmer that runs 2,000 acres just by prioritizing which fields to plant first and which crop to plant in those fields.” 

In the name of soybeans 

Ranking 12 in soybean production in the U.S., Wisconsin is home to over 16,000 soybean growers, each of whom benefits from Conley’s research. And, year after year, Conley proves that he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in the name of soybeans with the help of Wisconsin soybean checkoff dollars. 

“Checkoff dollars allow us to continue digging into the challenges we see and come up with applicable solutions that farmers can implement today and to think about down the road,” Conley said. 

As Conley crafts his research projects and curates real-life solutions to real-world problems, he keeps every one of those nearly 17,000 Wisconsin soybean growers in mind. In addition, he’s also WSMB’s staff lead on another soy-checkoff group, the North Central Soybean Research Program. 

“When farmers get those checkoff dollars removed at the elevator and wonder where their money is going, I’m able to show them where it’s going,” Conley said. “They can see the end goal. And I remind them – ‘I’m working for you.’” 

Conley couldn’t do it alone – teamwork makes the dream work. Along with Rodrigo Werle and Damon Smith, Conley said UW-Madison’s soybean research team is second-to-none.  

“I would put our soybean research team up against anybody in the country,” Conley said. “And not to brag, but we would win.” 

Ensuring Wisconsin’s soybean farmers have the tools, markets and research needed to succeed, WSMB is the steward of state soybean checkoff dollars. 

“I always want to thank WSMB for continuing to support our research,” Conley said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” 

When the sun goes down, Conley doesn’t count sheep to fall asleep. He’s dreaming up his next soybean research project. 

“I have the best job in the world,” he said.