We’ve heard superlatives from others referring to their relationship with Jerry Schmitz and about Jerry’s role in the founding of the South Dakota Soybean Association. In this edition of the Soybean Pod, the floor is Jerry’s. We’ll dive into his upbringing, his college years and most of all, the impetus in founding the organization from which he retires as executive director. Although Schmitz has been the paid leader of the South Dakota Soybean Association and the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council for the past seven years, his involvement goes back to its official beginning in 1982.
As ASA CEO for the Second Time, Censky is ‘Back to an Industry I Love’
Jun 22, 2026
Steven Censky, in his second tenure as CEO of the American Soybean Association, measures the pulse of global and domestic circumstances that affect soybean growers. He says many growers priced fertilizer supplies prior to conflicts in Iran and on the Strait of Hormuz. However, many did not. Those are the hardest hit with steep cost increases resulting from that war. In this edition of the Soybean Pod, Censky talks about higher – much higher – input costs lately and better soybean prices since relations thawed between the U.S. and China last fall. Censky also reminisces about his background as a staff member for South Dakota Senator James Abdnor, his education at South Dakota State University, and how the experiences prepared him for his current position.
