Jesse Allen continues our NAFB Convention reporting in Kansas City, MO with the United Soybean Board. He’s joined by Jack Cornell, Board Director of Sustainable Supply from the United Soybean Board and Patrick O’Leary, Minnesota farmer and USB Farmer-Leader.
Q: We’ve been doing the Sustainable Soy Updates on Agriculture of America over the last several weeks, learning a lot about some of the various initiatives and things that USB is doing right now in terms of soil health, and just so many different avenues, finding new demand avenues for soy, etc.
Top of mind for me, Farmers for Soil Health always comes to mind. Jack, let’s start there. Just refresh folks’ minds on Farmers for Soil Health and talk about some of the things you guys have been working on this year.
JC: There’s huge opportunities right now for farmers to really take on understanding some of this complexity within this climate-smart commodity grant system. And Farmers for Soil Health is providing a cost share for farmers to adopt new practices around cover crops. But also, the program is really designed with technical assistance that’s guided by the state soybean boards. And so that technical assistance not only is going to help you with COVID crops, but anything around sustainability, that’s what their job is to do. And providing these resources at the farm level because for us that’s where the sustainability, the stewardship, is happening.
it’s important to get those resources down to the farm level so that the farmers can utilize those resources for continuing the profitability and the sustainability of their farms.
Q: I know we’ve talked about the Land Use Change Initiative as well, things like that. I mean, there’s so many things that you guys are doing right now as an organization, as a soy check off.
JC: So the Land Use Change Initiative was really started because we started seeing threats from the outside around how land use change was calculated, the different methodologies used, how it was modeled, and it created a huge confusing space that actually made US agriculture get some bad marks internationally.
And that was hurting our global appeal for US soybeans. We really wanted to combat that and have good science, good research – organizing the best geospatial scientists in the country to help us with this problem. And it’s really launched into something that I think was one of the most successful projects that we had this year.
We have McDonald’s as part of our organization now as they are also seeing this as a huge issue. And they wanted to make sure that how we utilize US soy and what farmers are doing on the farm level are really showing up.
Q: Patrick, let’s bring you into this conversation. We don’t want to leave you hanging here, but in terms of all the different things that Jack mentioned, talk about some of your work with the United Soybean Board and your perspective on some of these different things that you guys are doing as an organization right now.
PO: When we talk about sustainability and some of the things Jack talked about, it’s really important for me as a farmer, just on my farm, that we try to implement as much as we can and go as far as talking about land use, change, those kinds of things.
We don’t redesignate land ever. We’re really focused on farming what we have and being efficient and sustainable about that, whether it be using cover crops to manage nutrients or variable rating fertilizers. (We want to) make sure that our consumers understand that we’re doing everything we can to … bring them a product that’s produced efficiently, sustainably and cost effectively for them.
Some of the things, kind of my thing in the promotional side, I really enjoy health and nutrition. And I think when we talk about sustainability and land use change, when we look at our overseas customers, international customers in specific, it’s really important to them to understand our operations and what we do and what we’re doing to bring them a product that is sustainable. And, allowing them to deliver that same message to their consumers that are buying their products. It’s been a big focus, I think, not only with USB, but some of our partners in promotion of soybeans and how we pull everything together to make sure that we can build this market and understand it.
Q: And I think on the health and nutrition aspect as well – and to your point, I know this is something that we talk about a lot with folks – but just the quality of US soybeans is such an important topic. And it’s important note – and I know it’s reiterated to export customers and more around the world – but to your point, just thinking about the quality of the product we grow here in the US it’s second to none, honestly.
PO: Well, and we continue to push that and gain more understanding on that. Whether it be doing research on animal health with inclusion rates of soybean meal or human health with Soy Nutrition Institute. We’re really trying to deliver as we look at as our customers, whether it be domestic customers or international.
It’s important for them to understand our product and the benefits it gives them, not only with our animals, but in our own health and how that delivers value.
I think it’s an exciting time that we see our soybeans being able to deliver, and we’re seeing that the increase, because of the quality and consistency that we can deliver from the US, that we’re seeing animal health improve with the utilization and we’re seeing rate of gains that are great with it. So, a lot of things that tie into the whole big picture of what we’re doing.
Q: And I know a few different places online that folks can stay up to date, Farmers for Soil Health website, the United Soybean website, etc. Talk about some of that and just some final thoughts that you want folks to really think about.
JC: Right now, final thoughts are really how do we – the checkoff is very much invested in – continue to provide that profitability for farmers. And like Patrick was saying, is farmers drive value and increase profitability. They really focus in on the acres they have and drive up that value for either feed or international usage. And I think a lot of these programs and the research and science that we support is really going to tell that story.
I just want farmers to know that we’re our advocates there. We really hope that we move forward, and as we get this science and research we continue to invest in genetics and things on the farm to increase our profitability. And all that is done through a lot of our programming. And you know, I’m just really excited for the next year of where we’re going to take this organization and what we can do with the resources that we have.
