Brendan Marshall of Monmouth, Illinois, received the award at the annual ILSoyAdvisor Soybean Summit in Springfield this week. 

Marshall helps soybean producers fine-tune their management decisions as a crop specialist for West Central FS, Inc., where he provides value-added sales and service of crop inputs including fertilization, crop protection, seed products and technical services to soybean farmers. Marshall has been a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) for 27 years and is a committed member of his community, supporting local FFA chapters by providing products for the Agricultural Education Experience Program that helps students learn about soybean best management practices. 

Marshall works with soybean growers to find the best recommendations for each individual operation, all while promoting the correct and sustainable use of seed treatment, foliar fungicide products and soybean fertilizer applications. He has experienced a lot of growth in the soybean industry, with top-end soybean yields around 55 bushels when he first started his career 30 years ago. By retirement, Marshall hopes to help his growers break 100 bushels. 

“I think we are going to have to grow more beans to stay competitive in the global marketplace,” Marshall says. “I think the industry as a whole will bring better variety and technology to the market, and I think growers will also spend more time fine-tuning their soybean acres in order to achieve those high yields.” 

“Brendan is passionate about what he does and has a clear understanding of soybean best management practices,” says Rich DeSchepper, seed and technology manager with West Central FS. “He makes the best and most applicable soybean recommendations for his growers to help them protect and enable consistent high-yielding genetics, while being mindful of environmental situations and conservation.” 

The Illinois Soybean Association created the CCA Soybean Master Adviser award in 2016 as part of its mission to help Illinois soybean farmers excel in the global marketplace. The award acknowledges the significant role that CCAs play in improving soybean production by offering insight and advice on practices to improve yield and profitability.