31 Jul 2012

U.S. Soybean Farmers Celebrate Partnership with China

By United Soybean Board
Checkoff helps mark 30th anniversary of growing trade with biggest export partner

ST. LOUIS (July 31, 2012) - China imported 895 million bushels of whole U.S. soybeans last year -more than half of all U.S. soybeans exported. In honor of this important relationship, a delegation of U.S. soybean farmers representing the United Soybean Board (USB), the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) plan to recognize the past 30 years of developing this partnership.

"U.S. soybean farmers go beyond providing our Chinese customers with a reliable supply of high-quality soybeans," says Vanessa Kummer, USB chair and a soybean farmer from Colfax, N.D. "We have a partnership devoted to helping China reach its food-security and -safety goals in the 21st century. The soy checkoff, and my fellow soybean farmers representing ASA and USSEC, honor the anniversary of this valued and important partnership."

U.S. soybean farmers started laying the foundation for today's strong trade relations with China in 1982. Ever since, the United States has been a committed partner with China in meeting its long-term goal of sustainable food security.

"The creation of the partnership mutually benefits both Chinese soy customers and U.S. soybean farmers," says ASA President Steve Wellman, a soybean farmer from Syracuse, Neb. "Since ASA opened its Beijing international marketing development office in 1982, China has quickly risen to become the largest customer of U.S. soy - importing more than $11 billion today. We look forward to continuing our partnership."

U.S. soybean farmers' activities to help expand Chinese agriculture and agribusiness have played a part in China's increasing production of meat, poultry and fish products. The effort to modernize and develop China's animal-agriculture industry contributes to its food security and supports the animal-production goals outlined in China's 12th Five-Year Plan.

"As we celebrate this important milestone, we look forward to further growth of this partnership and providing China with an exceptional product," says Roy Bardole, USSEC chairman and soybean farmer from Rippey, Iowa. "We remain committed to providing China, and our other customers around the world, the highest-quality soybeans."

A Chinese delegation highlighted the promising future for this relationship earlier this year by committing to purchase more than $6 billion worth of U.S. soybeans during signing ceremonies in Des Moines, Iowa, and Los Angeles. Altogether, these commitments total more than 13.4 million metric tons, or 492.3 million bushels of U.S. soy, and set a new record for U.S. soybean purchase commitments made in one signing trip.

In conjunction with the formal recognition of the 30-year partnership between the U.S. soybean sector and China, the U.S. group plans to tour a soy crushing plant in northern China, visit Jianguo Poultry Company and participate in a round-table discussion with Chinese soy leaders.

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

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27 Jul 2012

Live From China: U.S. Soybean Farmers Honor 30-Year Partnership

By United Soybean Board
One of every four rows of soybeans grown in the United States will travel to China, making it the largest international market for U.S. soy. A delegation of U.S. soybean farmers will travel to China to show their appreciation, and speak to U.S. reporters from there live.

Representatives of the United Soybean Board (USB), the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) will be available through a teleconference to discuss this mutually beneficial relationship and how American soybean farmers are helping China reach its food security and safety goals.
TELECONFERENCE:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Central Time

To participate in the teleconference, please click here to register. 
PARTICIPANTS:

Vanessa Kummer, USB chair, North Dakota soybean farmer

Steve Wellman, ASA president, Nebraska soybean farmer

Roy Bardole, USSEC chairman, Iowa soybean farmer
17 Jul 2012

U.S. and South American Farmers Unite to Support Biotech

By United Soybean Board
United Soybean Board Directors and South American Farmers Meet with European Union Officials
ST. LOUIS (July 17, 2012) - Farmers who produce 90 percent of the world's soybean exports have joined forces to support biotechnology in the European Union.

Soybean farmers from the United States and their counterparts from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, though competitors in global soy trade, are presenting a united front in meetings with members of the European Union (EU) food and feed chain and representatives of the EU government. The farmers, part of a group formed in 2007 known as the International Soy Growers Alliance, plan to discuss the importance of biotechnology to feed a growing population and how slow government-approval processes and restrictions based on non-scientific reasoning cause trade disruption.

"This has been a very important meeting for us," says Bob Metz, soybean farmer from West Brown Valley, S.D., and vice chair of USB's Global Opportunities program. "The European Union is a very important customer for us and obviously a large population. They only produce about two percent of their protein needs in the European Union so they have a great dependence on the rest of the world for soybeans."

USB and the soy checkoff help collect and disseminate information about the safety of biotech soybeans to keep decision makers informed. The EU has a lengthy approval process on new biotech varieties, which have not only affected soy exports to these 27 countries, but also to other European countries as well as countries that trade with the EU.

"We have delivered a very strong message as we stand together with our South American friends saying that the market is moving forward with biotech events, not only from the United States but from universities in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as well," adds Metz. "As these new traits come forward, the European Union really needs to find a way to accept these traits in a more timely fashion."

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

19 Jun 2012

Soy Checkoff-Funded Video Series Helps Boost Production, Profit Potential

By United Soybean Board
"Focus on Soybeans" webcasts provide farmers the latest news on production research

ST. LOUIS (June 19, 2012) - To make the most of every acre, U.S. soybean farmers need the latest production research and management information. One thing that can help them get it is the soy checkoff-funded "Focus on Soybeans" webcast series. And with the new, quicker summary versions, U.S. soybean farmers can get the latest information they can use on the farm in five minutes or less.

"The webcasts provide valuable information to help soybean farmers better manage pests, diseases and other crop stresses," says Jimmy Sneed United Soybean Board (USB) communications chair and Hernando, Miss., soybean farmer. "They also bring to U.S. soybean farmers new developments in production practices, irrigation management, seeding rates, seed-quality preservation and others that are included in the series, too."

Now the webcasts are available in a shorter format. And although that provides more convenience for some farmers, the full-length versions, which include a lot more science-related information, still remain available for soybean farmers who prefer the longer format.

The webcast series, developed by Plant Management Network (PMN) in partnership with the soy checkoff, feature updates on applied and practical soybean research projects. On the last Monday of each month, the soy checkoff posts new webcasts to www.UnitedSoybean.org, accessible via the "Focus on Soybeans" sign on the homepage. All U.S. soybean farmers have free access to the full-length webcasts for two months. The five-minute summary versions will be accessible at all times.

"We are pleased to work with the USB and the soy checkoff on this effort to help U.S. farmers, crop consultants and others to manage their soybean crops more profitably," says Greg Tylka, Ph.D., professor and extension specialist at Iowa State University and chair of the Focus on Soybeans editorial committee. "Through this convenient, practical outlet, we provide research-based crop production and protection information to help U.S. farmers increase soybean yields in this growing season and beyond." PMN serves as an Internet-based resource owned and operated by the American Phytopathological Society and jointly managed by the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. The website can be accessed at www.PlantManagementNetwork.org.

"With cuts in resources such as extension, it becomes increasingly important that farmers have other resources to turn to help us boost our production," says Sneed. "That boost in production can help increase the profitability of every U.S. soybean farmer, which has always been a goal of the soy checkoff."

The soy checkoff has funded "Focus on Soybeans" since 2010, providing access to 12 webcasts per year.

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.


For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

13 Jun 2012

Food Reps Impressed by U.S. Soy Sustainability Practices

By United Soybean Board
Soy Checkoff Conveys U.S. Soybean Farmers' Commitment to Stewardship

ST. LOUIS (June 13, 2012) - Most U.S. soybean farmers know they employ sustainable farming methods, such as conservation tillage, cover crops and tactics that help minimize nutrient runoff. Now a group of representatives from global food companies know it, too.

The United Soybean Board (USB) and soy checkoff's Sustainability Initiative recently organized an educational series of U.S. farm tours through three states that showed five food-industry employees firsthand what U.S. soybean farmers do to keep improving their farm's sustainability performance. The companies represented included Kellogg's, Kraft, Sodexo and Unilever, which together use a total of about 3.5 billion pounds of soybean oil annually.

"As a food company, we're dependent upon the sustainability of farmers and want to promote their efforts," says Sherilyn Brodersen, Kraft Foods' sustainable agriculture lead for the Americas. "There are so many progressive measures farmers have taken, and I'll take that information back to my company, share those stories and help increase consumers' awareness."

The food industry remains by far the biggest user of U.S. soy oil, consuming more than 80 percent of it every year. And the importance the food industry and consumers place on using sustainably sourced ingredients continues to grow.

The program took participants to farms in three large and diverse soybean-producing states - Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska - and showed them a large array of farm-management practices used today. Participants learned about strip tilling, how technology can improve efficiency, methods to remove nutrients from runoff water and more.

"Many people don't realize how high of a priority U.S. farmers place on being good stewards of our resources," says Nebraska soybean farmer Mike Thede, team lead for the checkoff's Sustainability Initiative. "I think it's important to show people how common these practices are among farmers and how we're always looking to improve even more."

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

18 May 2012

See for Yourself Participants Will See Checkoff in Action in 2012

By United Soybean Board
United Soybean Board announces participants for annual program
ST. LOUIS (May 16, 2012) - What happens to U.S. soybeans after farmers unload their trucks at local grain elevators or processors? A group of U.S. soybean farmers are about to find out. The United Soybean Board (USB)/soy checkoff has selected 10 farmer-participants for the 2012 See for Yourself program, which will give attendees a firsthand look at how and where their soybeans are being used both domestically and internationally. The program, which also offers farmer participants an opportunity to evaluate specific, checkoff-funded research and promotional activities, will be held August 5-11 in St. Louis and Guanajuato, Mexico.

The soy checkoff selected 10 farmers who applied to take part in the fifth annual See for Yourself program. These farmer-participants will see their checkoff dollars in action by visiting a number of sites related to the national soy checkoff objectives to improve the value of U.S. soybean meal and oil, ensure the industry and soy customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and meet the needs of U.S. soy customers. The locations will also demonstrate USB's work to protect and support animal agriculture and increase public and private investment in transportation infrastructure.

Rick Stern, USB Audit & Evaluation program chair and a soybean farmer from Cream Ridge, N.J., believes the See for Yourself program helps inform farmers about the checkoff and allows them to evaluate and provide feedback on checkoff-funded programs. "There's no better way to show someone the value of their investment than to show them the results firsthand," Stern says.

For example, participants will learn about the use of soy biodiesel at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, tour a barge-loading facility and visit a laboratory to see soy research taking place, all before heading to the number one market for U.S. soybean meal - Mexico. While south of the U.S. border, participants will get a firsthand look at a large user of U.S. soy in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato.

The following U.S. soybean farmers will participate in the 2012 See for Yourself program:

•    Cory Atkins, Seaford, Del. •    Jonathan Miller, Island, Ky.
•    Timothy Clark, Lomira, Wis. •    Doug Singleteary, Bogota, Tenn.
•    Stephanie Essick, Dickens, Iowa •    Kristina Sutton, Potosi, Mo.
•    Andrew Fabin, Indiana, Pa. •    Craig Williams, Oaktown, Ind.
•    David Foster, Fort Scott, Kan. •    John Yeargin, Greenfield, Tenn

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel:www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

03 May 2012

Checkoff Invites Farmers to Help Tell Sustainability Story

By United Soybean Board
Online Tool Compiles Data on U.S. Soy Production Best Practices to Show Customers

ST. LOUIS (May 3, 2012) - An investment of just a few minutes of time and a few clicks of the mouse can help farmers demonstrate the high sustainability performance of U.S. soy. The payoff could include helping to retain and increase all U.S. soybean farmers' markets.

Some major customers of U.S. soy want to source sustainable ingredients for food, feed, fiber and biofuel.

The United Soybean Board (USB) and soy checkoff remain committed to helping U.S. soy farmers demonstrate their excellent sustainability performance. One new example of the effort is a checkoff partnership with the National Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (NISA) on an Internet-based questionnaire to help gather data to show U.S. soybean farmers already use sustainable management practices.

"We don't want a list of standards U.S. farmers have to meet that are created by people who know nothing about today's agriculture," explains Wisconsin farmer Chuck Prellwitz, a former soy checkoff farmer-director and current NISA board member. "Instead, we want a way of measuring what farmers have already done to grow their products sustainably."

Farmers can visit www.CoolBean.info to complete the confidential and anonymous Soybean Assessment Tool or Whole-Farm Assessment Tool questionnaires. Prellwitz encourages all U.S. farmers to participate.

The results will be segmented by region because best management practices are dependent on factors that vary regionally, such as soil, water, and weather. As one way of demonstrating soy's sustainability performance, the checkoff and NISA could use the data to show U.S. soy customers the share of U.S. farmers who have adopted sustainable best management practices appropriate for their region.

"This is another example of a farmer-driven effort to show our customers that we're sustainable before some non-agriculture group tells us what to do and how to do it," says soy checkoff farmer-director Mary Lou Smith, who farms in southeastern Michigan and serves on USB's Sustainability Initiative Leadership Team. "The goal is to compile more information to show that our agricultural practices are sustainable."

The soy checkoff has already conducted an independent, third-party life-cycle assessment that demonstrates the sustainability performance of U.S. soy production and processing. The checkoff also continues to support the Fieldprint Calculator, another sustainability tool that U.S. farmers may use for free. This tool can show farmers the effects of various farm-management decisions on the sustainability performance of their farm, including the financial impacts of those decisions.

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.UnitedSoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/UnitedSoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

25 Apr 2012

U.S. Soy: Naturally Sustainable

By United Soybean Board
Soy Checkoff Works with Partners to Meet Customer Sustainability Demands

ST. LOUIS (April 23, 2012) - The United Soybean Board (USB) and soy checkoff have begun leading an effort to demonstrate the high sustainability performance of U.S. soy to customers who increasingly demand products grown using sustainable practices. USB continues to collaborate with the American Soybean Association, U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and several state soybean checkoff boards to compile specific examples that show how U.S. soy production is sustainable.

The organizations intend to use the information to ensure U.S. soybean farmers' freedom to operate and open market access for U.S. soy across the globe. It will encompass all U.S. soy and all U.S. soybean farmers.

"We're taking an overall view of what's already being done by U.S. soybean farmers to become more sustainable and informing our customers around the world about it," says USB International Marketing program chair Sharon Covert, a soybean farmer from Tiskilwa, Ill. "U.S. soybean farmers have always been sustainable; it's at the heart of what we do. We have a tremendous amount of research to show how sustainable we've become."

As more customers demand sustainably sourced products and ingredients, checkoff-funded research provides facts that show U.S. soy meets those demands. USB's life-cycle analysis of soy production and processing and measurements against key sustainability metrics show U.S. soybean farmers continuously improving their sustainability performance.

"This is a time-sensitive issue, giving us an opportunity to avoid trade interruptions with any of our U.S. soy customers who demand sustainable soy," says USSEC Chairman Roy Bardole, a soybean farmer from Rippey, Iowa. "In fact, this provides an opportunity to open markets in the European Union, where sales of U.S. soy could be seriously inhibited in the future because of sustainability issues. It will be a huge boost to our efforts there."

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

06 Apr 2012

Soy Checkoff Sponsors Tractor Pulls to Showcase Biodiesel

By United Soybean Board
Partnerships Help Increase Availability and Use of Soy Biodiesel to Diesel Users

ST. LOUIS (April 4, 2012) - U.S. biodiesel production reached an all-time record in 2011, and the United Soybean Board (USB) and soy checkoff want to help it repeat that feat in 2012.

As part of a larger strategy to promote soy biodiesel's benefits among diesel users, the checkoff will once again co-sponsor the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) season of approximately 80 tractor pulls across the United States. The checkoff partners with the NTPA to increase biodiesel availability and use among pulling fans, many of whom work in the agricultural and trucking sectors.

"Pulling tractors perform so well on biodiesel, it's a perfect way to show farmers biodiesel's benefits," says USB Communications Chair Jimmy Sneed, a soybean farmer from Hernando, Miss. "It's important to remind farmers that using soybean oil for biodiesel is one of the components that determines the value of each bushel we grow. It makes sense for soybean farmers to use their own products and promote biodiesel."

Under the co-sponsorship, tractors in the NTPA's Light Pro Stock division will run on biodiesel. So these pullers will put biodiesel to the test all season long.

According to millions of miles of checkoff-funded testing, biodiesel can stand up to those tests. It offers excellent horsepower, mileage, cetane and lubricity. And, since it can be made from U.S. soybean oil, it's the only diesel fuel that can help declare freedom from foreign oil.

Check the NTPA schedule to find out if Light Pro Stock "Powered by Biodiesel" hooks will be in your area.

The soy checkoff also established other partnerships to promote biodiesel. Later this year, the checkoff will sponsor the National Truck Driving Championships, a trucking competition that attracts tens of thousands of representatives from that industry. Additionally, the checkoff partners with Clean Cities coalitions; assorted state, county and regional fairs; and the tractor pulls at the National Farm Machinery Show to promote the use of biodiesel, Bioheat® and other soy-based products.

The soy checkoff funds most of the biodiesel research and promotion efforts through the National Biodiesel Board to help increase the use of U.S. soybean oil. Soybean oil remains the dominant feedstock for U.S. biodiesel production.

These efforts helped push production of America's Advanced Biofuel to a record of nearly 1.1 million gallons in 2011. This exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's 800-million-gallon requirement and surpassed the industry's previous record of 690 million gallons set in 2008.

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

02 Apr 2012

Soy Checkoff Studies Cost of Losing EU Market for Biodiesel

By United Soybean Board
EU Policy Shuts Off Pumps on U.S. Biodiesel, Costing U.S. Soybean Farmers $1.1 Billion

ST. LOUIS (April 2, 2012) - A soy checkoff study shows a European Union renewable-energy policy would ultimately cost U.S. soybean farmers money by lowering U.S. soybean prices.

The study, funded by the United Soybean Board (USB), shows the EU's Renewable Energy Directive, which currently excludes biodiesel made from U.S. soybean oil in renewable energy quotas, could decrease U.S. soybean prices by as much as 35 cents per bushel. If left unresolved, the regulation would cost U.S. soybean farmers more than $1.1 billion per year.

The checkoff contends the policy unfairly singles out biodiesel made from U.S. soy. USB Immediate Past Chair Marc Curtis says the checkoff continues to work with the American Soybean Association (ASA) on efforts to gain inclusion for biodiesel made from U.S. soy.

"The EU is the second-largest market for U.S. soybeans, and that market is at risk due to this regulation," says Curtis, a soybean farmer from Leland, Miss. "We can use this study to show allied organizations and the U.S. government how much of an impact this regulation would have on U.S. soybean farmers. It will also give the U.S. government facts to demonstrate to the European Commission that the regulation needs to be based on sound science."

ASA continues to work with the U.S. government to reach an agreement with the EU to include biodiesel made from U.S. soy in the policy. Meanwhile, the U.S. government will begin sending certificates with every shipment of U.S. soy to the EU. The certificates will verify U.S. soy complies with U.S. conservation laws and regulations that satisfy the policy's criteria.

According to the study, the EU biodiesel regulation would negatively affect the price of U.S. soybeans as well as the cost of shipping U.S. soy to other markets. U.S. soybean farmers currently enjoy a 10-cents-per-bushel advantage over farmers from Brazil and Argentina on soy shipments to Europe, the study shows. However, on shipments to China and India, that shipping advantage over South America drops to less than 3 cents per bushel.

The EU's policy requires all transportation fuels used there to include 10 percent renewable energy. In order to qualify as a renewable fuel, it must reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 35 percent. The Europeans claim biodiesel made from U.S. soy reduces GHG emissions by only 31 percent. Soy-checkoff-funded research shows biodiesel made from U.S. soy reduces GHG emissions by between 39 percent for U.S. soybeans shipped to and crushed in Europe and 49 percent for processed U.S. soy biodiesel shipped to Europe. USB has funded efforts to provide this data to key decision makers in the EU and in other parts of the world.

Soybean oil remains the dominant feedstock for biodiesel production in the United States, and the soy checkoff funds most of the U.S. biodiesel research and promotion through the National Biodiesel Board.

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.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

###

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