The SCN Coalition, a national public-private partnership that includes the University of Missouri Plant Science and Technology Extension, was the recipient of the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award in the “Issues Management” category. During the award ceremony the Coalition was recognized for moving more soybean farmers to actively manage the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) – the No. 1 yield-grabbing pathogen of the soybean crop in North America. Awards also went to international companies such as Royal Caribbean.

In many soybean fields, SCN has become resistant to the most common source of SCN resistance known as PI 88788. Market research conducted in 2015 and repeated in 2020 showed that many farmers were unaware of SCN’s resistance until The SCN Coalition created a campaign to bring attention to the importance of management strategies. The campaign has motivated up to 18 percent more farmers to actively manage SCN, enabling them to farm more sustainably – both economically and environmentally. Even the most conservative estimates show the Coalition’s campaign likely saved soybean farmers millions of dollars annually.

The SCN Coalition was formed in 2015, and now includes national, regional, and state soybean checkoff organizations, nine private industry partners and 30 universities from across 28 states and Ontario, Canada. Mandy Bish, Extension specialist, plant science and technology, and Jefferson Barizon, senior research specialist and nematode testing coordinator, participate in SCN Coalition efforts at the University of Missouri.