Soybeans are most commonly associated with food, livestock feed, and renewable fuels, but a growing share of soybean research is looking at what the crop can do beyond those traditional markets.
From tires and lubricants to firefighting foam, industrial uses are putting soy into products consumers encounter every day. For soybean farmers, those products can also represent something increasingly important: another source of demand.
United Soybean Board member Brent Rendel said industrial uses are one of the growing areas being supported through soybean checkoff investments. USB works with companies to help develop products that can incorporate soybean components and eventually bring them into the commercial marketplace.
One example is the use of soybean oil in tires. Rendel said he toured a Goodyear tire plant in Lawton, Oklahoma, where fleet managers from around the country were able to learn more about the technology.
Those buyers included managers responsible for purchasing tires used by first responders. Rendel said sustainability was part of the conversation, but performance ultimately had to stand on its own. The tires were tested under real-world conditions rather than relying solely on marketing claims.
Industrial applications for soy extend well beyond tires. Rendel said soybean-based materials are also being used in products such as firefighting foam and lubricants.
In the case of firefighting foam, Rendel pointed to concerns surrounding so called forever chemicals and said soy is positioned to help replace some of those materials. Other applications include bar and chain oil and other lubricants that can ultimately find their way into the environment.
Rendel said partnerships involving companies such as DeWalt and Dynamic Green Products have helped bring soybean-based alternatives into the marketplace.
While the finished products may be what consumers see, Rendel said reaching that point can require years of research and development. That is where he says soybean checkoff investments can help companies move an idea through development and eventually into the marketplace.
Rendel said industrial uses have also provided one of the stronger areas of return for soybean checkoff investments.
That return is particularly important at a time when farmers are closely watching expenses and looking at the value they receive from the dollars they invest.
Rendel said the United Soybean Board has faced tighter budgets of its own in recent years and has had to make difficult spending decisions. He said the 77 farmers serving on the board determine where those dollars are invested, going through spending decisions line by line and looking for the opportunities that can provide the best return.
For industrial products, the goal is not simply to find another interesting item that can be made with soy. Successful products can create additional demand for the crop alongside established markets such as food, feed and fuel.
As more industrial uses move from research into products consumers can actually purchase, Rendel said the checkoff can play a role in helping those technologies reach the marketplace. For farmers funding that work, the focus remains on turning those investments into demand and ultimately returning value to the soybean producers behind the checkoff.
The post Soybean checkoff turns research into new demand appeared first on Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
