U.S. Soy Leads the Way: International Oilseed Producers Dialogue Showcases Sustainability and Global Demand for U.S. Soy
Soybeans are quietly growing across the country, but U.S. soybean farmers are not just twiddling their thumbs waiting for harvest.
U.S. Soy led the largest national delegation at the 23rd International Oilseed Producers Dialogue, with representatives from the American Soybean Association, the U.S. Soybean Export Council and your soy checkoff.
During the meeting, the U.S. Soy community discussed global oilseed production and market challenges, including sessions on the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and the U.N. Food Systems Summit, and global developments in production technologies and innovations.
“The reputation of U.S. soy continues to be strong around the world,” says Dan Farney, checkoff Chair and Illinois farmer. “Today, that effort takes on even more significance as U.S. soybean farmers are helping to fill remaining food security and nutrition gaps by farming with climate-smart practices in our fields.”
Along with more than 500,000 other U.S. soybean farmers, your conservation practices — from reduced tillage to water management and beyond — enable sustainable global nutrition and food security. Farmers, the soy checkoff and the food value chain are focused on soy’s nutrition, protein attributes and versatility while maintaining consistent quality, safety, reliable delivery and environmental sustainability.
To ensure these qualities remain priorities with U.S. Soy, the checkoff works with organizations such as the Soy Nutrition Institute and Soy Connection to collect and share soy-related research and work with health, nutrition and food industry experts and U.S. soybean farmers to educate domestic end users on the benefits of sustainably grown U.S. soy.
“Without a doubt, the global food value chain takes a wider view today,” adds Farney. “No longer is the value proposition only nutritional attributes such as protein. Today the focus is shared by sustainability, consistency, food safety and reliability.”
The appeal of U.S. soy through this new wider lens is clear. Exports continue to grow, more than doubling in top-volume markets over the past four years, growing demand and profit potential for U.S. soybean farmers by providing a nutritious and sustainable product for global markets.
With harvest around the corner, U.S. soybeans will soon be traveling the world for animal feed, motor oil or biodiesel, and U.S. soybean farmers will continue to steward the land, working diligently to provide a source of sustainable protein for markets around the world.
“As a U.S. soybean farmer, I also know that doing right for the environment also frequently means doing right for my business,” says Farney. “That is an ethic shared by many soybean farmers in the United States, and I truly believe it is a trend that is clearly on the upswing.”