More than half of the soybeans grown in the United States every year get exported. In 2012, U.S. soybean farmers exported more than 1.8 billion bushels of U.S. soy. This includes 1.3 billion bushels of whole soybeans, meal from more than 404 million bushels of soybeans and the oil from 126.5 million bushels of soybeans. Those exports add up to a value of more than $23 billion.
U.S. soybean farmers and the soy checkoff recognize the incredible opportunities for soy around the globe and continue to study issues that will help U.S. soy to capitalize on these opportunities. For example, checkoff farmer-leaders recognize the importance of gaining acceptance and support of biotechnology as part of the effort to open additional markets to U.S. soy. The checkoff aims to provide facts about how biotechnology can positively impact issues people care about, such as world hunger, high food prices and an improved environment.
Sustaining the Biggest International Customer – China
Chinese customers purchase approximately one-fourth of the total U.S. soybean crop annually. The checkoff helps sustain this demand by working with processors and feed formulators to promote soy meal and new feed technologies throughout China. The checkoff also sponsors feeding demonstrations, consultations and seminars to boost soy meal use among swine and poultry farmers, as well as the fastest-growing segment of animal agriculture, aquaculture.
And through consultations with the culinary community, soy flour and other soy ingredients are finding a home in human food products.
Growing the Second-Largest Soybean Purchaser – Mexico
The soy checkoff funds programs to increase soy use in Mexico, which imported more than 218 million bushels of U.S. soy last year.
Checkoff-sponsored programs work to educate Mexican poultry and livestock farmers about the benefits of increasing the inclusion rates of soy meal in animal diets.
Click here to learn more about the soy checkoff’s efforts to build and maintain international markets.