T R A N S PA R E N C Y A N D T R A C E A B I L I TY Forum and think tank participants take on issues facing the soybean industry. BY JEFF HUTTON
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rom the field to dinner plate, from the grain elevator to the fuel tank, from the silo to the end product overseas — transparency and traceability are critical to the future of soybean production. “Traceability and transparency have been topics of conversation for many years, but it’s challenging to envision how it would work for a bulk commodity crop like soybeans,” Jennifer Coleman, director of communications for Aimpoint Research, told farmers, ag professionals, academics and other stakeholders at the Soybean Research Forum and Think Tank this summer. Consumer demand is a market driver, Coleman says. They’re demanding transparency on food origination, safety, and other foodrelated factors more than ever. “Experience is much more important to millennials,” she says. “It’s not just about having the food but experiencing their food.”
For 63% of consumers, knowing where their food comes from increases their trust, while 89% believe food producers and companies have an obligation to be transparent, Coleman added. Traceability, she says, has been a hallmark of many products, but not as much of a focus for soybeans and other commodities. “There is more than just one driver moving this trend toward greater transparency and traceability,” Coleman says. “It’s not just consumer demand, it’s also concerns about food safety, the ability to prove claims, and protection from liability. Secondly, there are a lot of companies creating new technologies that will be able to solve the challenges in tracing bulk commodities and it’s evolving quickly.”
Bridging supply and demand Katherine Drake Stowe, director of the U.S. Soybean Research
Collaborative, says the event was created to facilitate these forwardthinking conversations. “Farmers’ questions today are much more complex than they were 30 years ago and it will take thinking about research differently to answer those questions and continue to drive the industry forward,” says Stowe. Unlike other meetings and events which may focus on one area of the soybean industry, the Think Tank brings together a diverse set of players from across the value chain. “The Think Tank is one of the only times a year we have a diverse cross section of farmers, academics and industry professionals all in the same room sharing ideas and exchanging knowledge,” Stowe says. “Having the opportunity for these individuals to be exposed to each other is powerful for fueling future collaborations and innovations.” Continued on Page 13.
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