The uses for American soybeans have expanded well beyond traditional food and livestock feed markets. From renewable fuels and building materials to everyday products, soybeans are finding their way into an increasing number of applications. Developing those markets, however, takes more than research alone. It also requires cooperation between organizations working to strengthen demand both domestically and internationally.
The United Soybean Board is one of several organizations working to strengthen the soybean industry, with each serving a different role. Courtney Knupp, the board’s new CEO and a Washington County native, says those partnerships are essential to making the most of farmers’ checkoff investments.
That includes working with state organizations like the Iowa Soybean Association, which maintains close relationships with growers, and national partners like the U.S. Soybean Export Council, which focuses on developing international demand.
While the United Soybean Board focuses on research, education, and promotion, other organizations have responsibilities outside the checkoff’s authority. Knupp says those distinctions are particularly important when it comes to agricultural policy.
The United Soybean Board cannot lobby for policy changes, but it can provide research, analysis, and data that help inform policy discussions. Organizations like the American Soybean Association can then use that information in their work representing soybean producers on policy matters.
That research also plays an important role in developing new uses for soybeans. Products made with soy now include everything from road surfaces and footwear to firefighting foam. These applications represent opportunities to create additional demand for a crop traditionally associated with food, livestock feed, and fuel.
Knupp says soybeans are already used in more than 1,000 products, and expanding that number remains a priority for the organization.
For soybean producers, those innovations represent opportunities to build demand beyond traditional markets. With competition from other crops, competing vegetable oils, and international soybean suppliers, finding additional uses for American soybeans can help strengthen the industry’s position in the marketplace.
New applications can also provide additional outlets for soybean oil and meal as the industry continues to expand its processing capacity. Developing reliable markets for those products is an important part of ensuring that increased production translates into opportunities for growers.
However, developing a new product or market doesn’t happen overnight. Research, partnerships, and investments made today could eventually lead to commercial opportunities that benefit soybean farmers years down the road. Many of the markets that exist today grew out of efforts that began decades earlier.
As the soybean checkoff moves beyond its first 35 years, the challenge is to continue building on that progress while identifying new opportunities for the future. Knupp says maintaining strong partnerships, supporting innovation, and keeping farmer leadership at the center of decision-making will remain important to that effort.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure the work being done today helps create demand, strengthen markets, and bring additional value back to American soybean growers.
Farmers can learn more about the United Soybean Board and its investments at soybeancheckoff.org.
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