ST. LOUIS — Maximizing the profit potential of every U.S. soybean farmer means seeing beyond today; it means driving soybean innovation in products and services to meet customers’ needs tomorrow.
That’s why the farmer-leaders of the national soy checkoff made driving innovation the center of their new, five-year strategic plan, which will guide all national soy checkoff investments from fiscal years 2017 to 2022.
Changing needs. Being profitable in the future will mean something different for soybean farmers, United Soybean Board Chairman Bob Haselwood said.
“We need to focus on meeting our customers’ changing needs, and giving them a reason to keep choosing U.S. soy over increasing competition. That’s what’s going to help us ensure our children and grandchildren will have the same chance to maximize their profit opportunities that we have had.”
The new plan hopes to increase the value of soybean meal for various species, from poultry to pork to aquaculture.
The new plan also prioritizes supporting soybean farmers’ use of technological advances to maximize their on-farm profit opportunities, as well as the ongoing development of high oleic soybean oil to increase soy’s share of the edible-oil market.
United Soybean Board Vice Chairman Jared Hagert, who led a panel of national- and state-checkoff farmer-leaders in drafting the new plan said, the plan focuses on areas that will bring in the most profit for farmers.
“USB has always been forward-thinking and strategic in how it invests farmer checkoff dollars,” said Chairman Haselwood. “But the national soy checkoff has risen to a new level with this progressive framework.”
The 70 farmer-directors of the board oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers.
