Moore: Soy Packages Up Pretty Well

[caption id="attachment_154" align="alignleft" width="196" caption="Chairman, Illinois Soybean Association"][/caption]

While you may not be looking for any soybeans wrapped up under the Christmas tree this year, we are fortunate that soy packages up pretty well in ways that benefit our bottom line.  I am not necessarily talking about candles or teddy bears, although they make great soy gifts.  I am focusing more on applications that can generate long-term profitability.  Some of those are featured in this holiday edition of the Illinois Soybean Review.

Take soyfoods, for example.  The soybean industry marked a major milestone this fall, with the 10-year anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the soy health claim.  Consumers here and abroad are able to more easily add soy to their diets now, thanks in part to work funded by the Illinois soybean checkoff through the University of Illinois National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL).

That’s not really a gift you can wrap and give to a friend, but it is a plus for us.  From 1992 to 2008, U.S. soyfoods sales increased from $300 million to $4 billion!

Another intangible present comes in the form of education.  The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) always has tried to help educate consumers about the production and consumption of soybeans.  Much of that work has been done through agricultural literacy efforts, including support of Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom endeavors.

This fall, Illinois teachers got a gift in the form of a new set of lessons that can be used to educate students about the soybean industry.  The “Bean Team” DVD series debuted around the state, and is getting an A+ from ag literacy coordinators, educators and young consumers.  The series is aligned to Illinois Learning Standards, and can be used in practical, hands-on classroom applications in English, math, science and more.

Finally, you may want to invest in a gift for yourself in the form of finding new ways to boost yields.  We battled a little too much water this season.  But we can take what we learned in 2009 and make adjustments to our practices to try and maximize yields in 2010.  Registration is underway for the ISA Yield Challenge, and I hope you will sign up to participate on a team that will explore creative ways to increase yields.  That is a gift I think we would all like to open this time next year.

Soybeans bestow many gifts in our lives, and I hope you will reflect on those blessings this holiday season.  I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ron Moore, Chairman