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Passing the Gavel: Wells Farmer Elected MSGA President

The affable Wells farmer, who climbed the advocacy leadership ladder, was elected president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) Thursday during the organization’s quarterly board meeting at its newly renovated office in Mankato.

In addition to Johnson, Brownton farmer Ryan Mackenthun was elevated to vice president, St. James grower Rose Wendinger will move to treasurer, while new Secretary Kyle Jore of Thief River Falls rounds out MSGA’s 2024-25 officer team. In a sign of MSGA’s commitment to uplift the next generation of grower leaders, the current officer team is its youngest in recent memory.

“I’m very humbled to be elected (vice president),” Mackenthun said. “We’ve all had a chance to learn the ropes, and this is a great opportunity to continue moving MSGA forward.”

Johnson, who farms with his uncle Scott, his wife, Rachel, and their family, runs his own seed business and holds extensive advocacy experience. He joined his local Faribault County Corn & Soybean Growers Board more than 20 years ago and serves on the board of Ag Management Solutions, the association management group that oversees MSGA. During his farmer leadership career, he’s advocated for MSGA during state and national hill visits; welcomed a presidential candidate to his farm; hosted legislative events and brought numerous international trade teams to his operation.

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Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday



Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.