Soy Industry News

INVESTING CHECKOFF DOLLARS Soy Industry NEWS

Ag Day panelists, from left to right, included Jamie and Brian Johnson, Lyle Perman and Jared Knock.

SDSU Celebrates Campus-Wide Ag Day

SeeSoyPlant Campaign Shop Talks

The South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Prexy Council hosted its 11th annual campus-wide Ag Day on Thursday, April 22 in the SDSU Student Union. With the theme “Ag Proud: Sustaining the Future,” the event’s main program included a sustainability panel featuring four individuals with strong backgrounds in conservation and sustainability. Panelists included Lyle Perman of Lowry, South Dakota, Brian and Jamie Johnson of Frankfort, South Dakota, and Jared Knock of Willow Lake, South Dakota.

American Soybean Association launched #SeeSoyPlant series featuring videos from farms across the United States. The videos can be found on the American Soybean Association YouTube channel.

www.youtube.com/americansoybeanassoc

The South Dakota Soybean Association is hosting Shop Talks for producers across the state. Each event will include legislative updates, news from the checkoff, SDSA membership information, and more from featured speakers. Watch for details on our website and social media or contact our office at (605)330-9942.

SOYLEIC™ high oleic trait technology is moving further into the marketplace through a new partnership between Global Processing. Inc. and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. The partnership has been in development for more than a year and will serve soybean growers by increasing the accessibility of SOYLEIC™ high oleic soybeans and processing opportunities. More information is available at mosoy.org/soyleic. The South Dakota Soybean Checkoff sponsored Ag Day at the Pavilion in Sioux Falls. Kids who stopped by the booth got to plant soybeans to take home and also learned about products that contain soybeans. The event was a wonderful opportunity to promote agriculture and connect with families from across South Dakota.

Ag Day at the Washington Pavilion - June 5

BioBlend Renewable Resources’ EPIC EL dust suppressant is the latest industrial use product to enter the market after having received research funding from the United Soybean Board and North Dakota Soybean Council. With soy checkoff support, a North Dakota State University (NDSU) research engineer created the base chemistry that BioBlend is commercializing. BioBlend Renewable Resources began marketing EPIC EL nationwide in April 2021 after finalizing a license agreement with the NDSU Research Foundation. EPIC EL is made from soybean oil as well as glycerin, a coproduct of biodiesel production. More information can be found at ndsoybean.org.

Retirement BioBlend Soy-Based Dust Suppressant

2020 U.S. Agriculture Export Yearbook

Lorin Pankratz worked as a lobbyist for the South Dakota Soybean Association for over 10 years and recently announced his retirement. Throughout those years, Lorin advocated for farmers on a number of issues including Lorin Pankratz lobbying legislation involving rural taxation, agland valuation, landowner rights, nonmeandering waters, and farm equipment use on rural highways. He was also part of many SDSU projects including Greenhouse, Swine Unit, Raven Precision Ag Center, South Dakota Bioproducts Center. Thank you, Lorin, for all your hard work and dedication to South Dakota soybean producers.

Ag Women’s Day - June 8

The South Dakota Soybean Checkoff sponsored the Ag Women’s Day event in Brookings, SD on June 8th. More than 200 people attended the event to enjoy speakers, a meal, and visit with a variety of sponsors. We hosted discussions about uses for soybeans as well as how we address issues in agriculture through our Hungry for Truth initiative. The event collected 244 lbs of food for Brookings County Food Pantry. The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently released its 2020 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook, a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports. The Yearbook stated that total U.S. agricultural exports in 2020 were nearly $146 billion, up almost 7 percent from 2019, and the second highest level on record (after Calendar Year 2014). The primary factor for this surge in exports was increased shipments of soybeans, corn, and pork to China.

FAS stated, “Soybeans continued to be the United States’ No.1 agricultural export, increasing 38 percent to a record $25.7 billion in 2020 and accounting for nearly 18 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports. In 2020, soybean shipments to China accounted for 55 percent of total soybean exports, returning to levels prior to China’s imposition of Section 232 and 301 retaliatory tariffs, when China accounted for at least 50 percent of total bean export value since 2009.”

More narrowly with respect to soybeans, the Yearbook noted that U.S. soybean exports are forecast at record levels for the marketing year ending in August (2020-2021). Soybean shipments are back on trend this year with large sales being shipped out in late 2020 and early 2021.

Enter the annual SD Soybean Yield and Quality Contest for a chance to win up to $2,000 in prizes. Rules and information to enter are available at www.sdsoybean.org.

WE ARE U. S. SOYBEAN FARMERS

SUSTAINABILITY NEVER GOES OUT OF SEASON

COVER CROPS

Customers prefer U.S. soy because it’s sustainable. But demands for sustainability continue to rise. Adopting a common practice such as planting a cover crop to slow runoff and increase soil organic matter is another step forward in improving your sustainable footprint. See why sustainability never goes out of season at unitedsoybean.org.