Get the latest health and nutrition news about soy in Volume 24 of The Soy Connection HERE!
Topics include:
Texas Soybean Board & Texas Soybean Association Soybean Conference
Wharton County Fairgrounds
6036 FM 961 Road, Wharton, TX 77488
Agenda (subject to change)
8:00 a.m. – Registration, continental breakfast, view exhibits
8:30 a.m. – Welcome, introductions, opening comments
Daniel Berglund, Texas Soybean Association president
8:45 a.m. – Texas soybean production panel, latest on innovative research
Planting Dates and Varieties by James Grichar
Insect Pests and Solutions by Mo Way
9:45 a.m. – Soybean Seed Company product updates
10:00 a.m. – Break, Visit Exhibits
10:30 a.m. – Soybean Seed Company product updates
10:45 a.m. – Checkoff-Funded Market Development Panel
US Soybean Export Council, Will McNair
National Biodiesel Board, Tom Verry
United Soybean Board, To be determined
11:30 a.m. – Your Texas & American Soybean Association at work on policy issues
12:00 p.m. – Lunch
The Texas Soybean Board (TSB) will discuss potential nominees for the United Soybean Board during its March 2014 conference call meeting. TSB will submit candidates’ names to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in April. The Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act authorized the national board, and the secretary of agriculture selects appointees from the soybean farmers that qualified state soybean boards nominate. The eventual appointee will serve a three-year term beginning in December 2014. Eligible soybean farmers should call 936-825-3300 for more details or to express their interest in the position by March 20th.
Fuel manufacturers could use at least 4.8 billion pounds of soybean oil this year
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 19, 2013) – The biodiesel that fuels semis, farm tractors and bus fleets continues to fuel market potential for U.S. soybean oil and profit opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers.
In order to meet federal biodiesel-usage requirements of 1.28 billion gallons this year, manufacturers will need 9 billion pounds of vegetable oils and animal fats. At least 4.8 billion pounds of that could be soybean oil. That’s the oil from 430 million bushels of U.S. soybeans.
“There’s value for soybean farmers from the growing market use of soybean oil for biodiesel,” says Gregg Fujan, a USB director and soybean farmer from Weston, Neb. “It expands the market for our soybeans, which also increases the price we receive.”
According to research commissioned by soybean farmers in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota through their state soy checkoff boards, biodiesel contributed to a $15 billion increase in soybean-oil revenues between 2006 and 2012. Over that time period, this raised the price of soybeans by 74 cents per bushel.
Soy-checkoff-funded research on biodiesel’s environmental benefits helped it qualify under the Environmental Protection Agency as an Advanced Biofuel. Under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (known as RFS2), at least 1.28 billion gallons of biodiesel will be produced in the United States in 2013.
For nearly 20 years, soybean oil has been the primary feedstock for U.S. biodiesel manufacturing. The soy checkoff helps fund biodiesel research and promotion efforts to increase fuel and feedstock demand for U.S. soybean farmers.
The 69 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy’s customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.
DAVENPORT, IOWA (September 16, 2013) – How far would you go for high-quality ingredients needed to make your food, fuel and fiber? More than 150 international trade delegates have traveled thousands of miles to the Quad Cities region, where they will network with U.S. soybean farmers and exporters and potentially solidify commitments to purchase U.S. soy.
The first U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange begins today in Davenport, Iowa, welcoming representatives from major soy-importing countries like China, Mexico, Indonesia and more. These foreign delegates represent 50 million metric tons of soy demand, or about 1.8 billion bushels worth.
“The members of the U.S. soy family are thrilled to have such a diverse group of buyers join us for this first-time event,” says Jim Stillman, United Soybean Board (USB) chairman who farms in Emmetsburg, Iowa. “We want to introduce these valuable customers to the heart of the U.S. soy industry. We’ll show them many aspects of our production system, including the fields where we are growing a high-quality product to meet their varied needs throughout the upcoming year.”
Beginning today, international buyers have gathered for the first U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange in Davenport, Iowa. Hailing from countries like India, China and Mexico, these foreign delegates represent 50 million metric tons of soy or about 1.8 billion bushels.
“Over half of every soybean crop is exported, which makes our relationships with our international customers very important,” says Danny Murphy, American Soybean Association (ASA) president. “U.S. farmer-leaders are very excited to meet with these foreign trade delegates and speak with them about why they should continue to buy U.S. soy.”
The event, which is co-sponsored by the USB, ASA and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), continues through Sept. 18. The event will offer attendees a chance to get a taste of American agriculture through tours of local farms and the John Deere headquarters as well as a river tour of the Mississippi River.
“Nothing beats talking to a customer face-to-face,” says Randy Mann, U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) Chairman. “We’re looking forward to showing these trade delegates the care we put into growing a top-quality crop and the efficiency of our transportation system.”
The 69 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy’s customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.
ST. LOUIS (July 2, 2013) – Right now, the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds says as many as 143 different species of weeds that stubbornly refuse to succumb to herbicides are growing in the United States. Worse yet, they’re spreading.
These weeds are invading not only neighboring farms, but also the next county, state and even region.
For many U.S. farmers, especially those who haven’t been dealing with herbicide-resistant weeds in their fields already, there’s an opportunity to learn more about the impact of these weeds, as well as other ways to manage them.
According to the results of a recent soy checkoff survey, most U.S. soybean farmers consider herbicide-resistant weeds to be an issue that will have only a minimal effect on their profitability. Additionally, many farmers believe these weeds will require action in the future, but not now.
The checkoff, however, considers herbicide-resistant weeds a major problem that merits immediate attention. In response, it has organized the Take Action program, a collaborative effort to increase farmers’ awareness of the damage these weeds can do, as well as provide some recommended courses of action. The program, in collaboration with 15 land-grant universities and a half-dozen agriculture-technology companies, encourages farmers to develop more diverse weed-management plans to keep these weeds from spreading further.
“We can’t rely on one input or one mode of action to effectively treat these weeds; we’re way past that point,” says Todd Gibson, a United Soybean Board (USB) director and soybean farmer from northwest Missouri. “Managing this issue will require farmers to adapt to new methods in the same way these weeds are adapting to survive our old methods.”
The program encourages farmers to arm themselves with more weapons to wield against weeds, such as crop rotation, residual herbicides and multiple herbicide modes of action. These tools can help farmers manage herbicide-resistant weeds growing in fields already and prevent the development of new herbicide-resistant species. Under the Take Action program, the checkoff and its partners will develop educational materials to increase farmer awareness of the issue.
Other checkoff partnerships offer tools farmers can use to combat these problem plants now, including:
The checkoff sponsors the Plant Management Network (PMN), which produces Web-based videos that provide valuable soybean-production information. These full-length videos, located in PMN’s Focus on Soybean resource, are available for farmers to watch for free for a limited time, while executive-summary videos can be viewed anytime. Click here for all currently available videos, including several that are relevant to farmers’ never-ending battle with weeds.
Farmers can get more information and tips for dealing with herbicide-resistant weeds, as well as other soybean-growing challenges, on the Production page of the USB website.
The checkoff works with land-grant universities and extensions to share research results and other resources with farmers, such as guides on how to identify and manage herbicide-resistant weeds. Contact your local extension agent to see if such materials exist in your state.