Everyone who participated in the 2010 United Soybean See for Yourself Program had only good things to say about the experience.  If you are interested in learning more about the many ways your soybean checkoff dollars are being invested domestically and in the international marketplace, go to the USB website.

The following is editorial/opinion/Cyndi Young’s 2 cents:

As a person who has spent the past 25 years telling the story of agriculture, this experience is one I will not soon forget.  Why?  Many reasons, not the least of which is the opportunity I had to witness U.S. farmers in that defining moment when they see how the soybeans they grow are being utilized by others.  Loren Hylton, a farmer from central Indiana put it best when he said that as he combines his soybean crop this fall, he’ll be thinking about where that crop goes once it leaves his field and the local elevator.  

Barry Alexander, a farmer from Kentucy pointed out that this trip changed his perspective on the sophistication of agriculture in Mexico.  He told me that the world is much more advanced than he realized before he took part in the SFY Program.

Every participant was impressed with the vast array of soy-based food products available to consumers in Mexico.  From the school lunch programs to WalMart, the variety of food products is a true eye-opener.

The enthusiasm and passion these farmers - USB Directors and participants – have for the industry along with the committment of staff in the U.S. and in Mexico – tells me the soybean checkoff is in good hands. 

Finally, I believe it is important to remind everyone that this trip is not only an opportunity for some farmers with little knowledge of the soybean checkoff to see checkoff dollars at work.  It is an opportunity – and I believe a responsibility – for participants to seriously evaluate the checkoff investments to which they were exposed.  Who knows? One of the ten farmers chosen to be a part of the 2010 USB See For Yourself Program just might have that “best new idea” we are always looking for.

Loren Hylton

Hylton believes United States Soybean Checkoff dollars are being wisely invested in Mexico.

“If it weren’t for our checkoff dollars, we probably wouldn’t be here in this area. So, it’s important that I know and that other farmers know also that they are being used well for the future of our business of raising soybeans. It’s just good to know and I’m looking for a lot more advancements in the field.”

Hylton walked away from the USB SFY program with a new perspective.

“My perception from what I thought I was going to see and what I did see were two different things,” he said. “I believe that we think of ourselves as being innovative and on the cutting edge but there are folks throughout this world I’m sure that are competing to be number one.”

Conversation with Loren Hylton

“The world is a lot more advanced than my perspective before I came outside of the country.” He added, “We may not being doing everything that we need to do to stay the leader in agriculture.”

The size and sophistication of PROAN, one of the largest farms in Latin America, was a true eye-opener for the Kentuckian.

“We have had vertical integration in the United States for several years but nothing to the extent of what they have for vertical integration. They integrate it from the very ground level all the way through the top.”

Alexander believes farmers should get more involved in what the USB is doing.

“Most people don’t realize what their voice is with USB and if they get more involved it’s going to get our story out and is going to have this opportunity to stay in the soybean business for years to come.”

Conversation with Barry Alexander

Oglesby was impressed by the automation level at the PROAN egg facility. In the facility we visited, 1.2 million hens are in production.

Oglesby was also impressed with the many different ways soy products are used in food products for human consumption and in food programs.

“I was really amazed to see the wide variety of uses for our product in the different food programs down here.”

Conversation with Todd Oglesby

Reggie Strickland

“It’s amazing to me the amount of product that’s used here. We saw all that that came out of the grocery store that is not available in the United States. That was very impressive that first morning when they brought the display and showed us all the products.”

Strickland’s operation in North Carolina is diversified.

“We grow 3,200 acres of row crops which consist of soybean, corn, wheat, flu cured tobacco, sweet potatoes, cotton. We grow a little bit of everything. My grandfather always said if you didn’t have it to sell you couldn’t sell it no matter what the price was. You have got to have the product to sell.”

Strickland looks forward to telling farmers back in the U.S. about the wide variety of soy food products available to consumers in Mexico. Coming from an area where livestock production is prominent, this opportunity to see soy used in foods instead of just feeds was enlightening for Strickland.

“I’m not saying it’s (soybeans used in livestock feed) not important by any stretch of the imagination because they (livestock producers) are our number one customer at home but abroad the ability that we have to feed the world and the products going into the kitchen is what is enlightening me on this trip.”

Strickland said he appreciates everything the USB does for farmers on a daily basis.

Conversation with Reggie Strickland