You are here: Home / Archives for United Soybean Board

Hoosier farmer/leader passes away

March 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Joe Meyer of Williamsburg, Indiana, a past member of the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and the United Soybean Board (USB) passed away on Monday, March 11.

Over the years, Joe also served on a number of local boards including the Wayne County SWCD, the Wayne County EDC, the Eastern Indiana Development Board, Chamber of Commerce Agriculture and Life Science Committees and was on the Region 9 IVY Tech Board of Trustees and IVY Tech State Foundation Board.

In 2012 the Wayne County Farm Bureau presented Meyer with the Agriculture Stewardship Award.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 8 on Thursday, March 14 at the Smith & McQuiston Funeral Home in Fountain City. The funeral service will be Friday, March 15 at 11 a.m.

Joe Meyer was 74.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Crops, News Tagged With: , ,

Biodiesel market continues to grow

February 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment
USB's Bob Metz talks to Brownfield's Meghan Grebner at the 2013 NFMS.

USB’s Bob Metz talks to Brownfield’s Meghan Grebner at the 2013 NFMS.

The biodiesel industry has come a long way since it first began.  Bob Metz, a South Dakota soybean farmer and United Soybean Board member says the investment of soybean checkoff dollars helped create the market for soy-biodiesel. 

Metz tells Brownfield before the investment was made in biodiesel – the oil was really only used for human consumption.  But that left an excess of roughly 3 billion pounds of oil sitting around the US. 

Metz says even though there is still an excess of 3 billion pounds of oil today – because of checkoff investment, there is now a viable market for it.

AUDIO: Bob Metz, USB (5:14mp3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Innovations Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Indiana Soybean Alliance seeks USB nominations

January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Indiana Soybean Alliance is seeking nominations for the National Checkoff Board.  Sixty-nine volunteer farmer-directors make up the United Soybean Board.  They oversee the investments of the national soybean checkoff.  Indiana has four directors on the USB board; two of which are up for re-appointment this year.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture appoints directors to the USB board but the Indiana Soybean Alliance, the state soybean checkoff organization, submits director candidate names to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the Secretary’s consideration.  USB directors serve a three-year term.

Indiana soybean farmers that are interested in serving as the state’s representative to the USB should apply by February 28, 2013. 

A link to the candidate questionnaire can be found HERE.

Filed Under: Crops, Human Interest, News Tagged With: , , ,

USB announces partnership

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In an effort to grow the high oleic soy market, the United Soybean Board has announced a partnership with DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto.

USB past chair, Vanessa Kummer of North Dakota says the partnership will allow soybean farmers to step out of the box and strategically build the soy industry.

“High oleic has the potential to increase the value of U.S. soy oil substantially,” said Kummer. “And if successful this partnership may bring $2 billion to U.S. soybean farmers by 2023 and help strengthen U.S. soy’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.”

Kummer says the partnership will also expand the area where DuPont Pioneer’s Plenish and Monsanto’s Vistive Gold high oleic soybeans are grown.

“Without this partnership current industry projections estimate high oleic will be available on five to 10 percent of U.S. soybean acres by 2020,” Kummer said. “With this partnership, we aim to have high oleic varieties available in maturity groups that cover up to 80 percent of U.S. soybean acres by 2020.”

The 5-year project funded by the soybean checkoff will be evaluated annually to review the impact on farmer profitability.

Audio: Vanessa Kummer, Past Chair, United Soybean Board (3:40 mp3)

Audio: Russ Sanders, DuPont Pioneer (1:50 mp3)

Audio: Jim Tobin, Monsanto (1:55 mp3)

Filed Under: Crops, News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Continuing to find new uses for soybeans

November 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Farmer leaders of the United Soybean Board (USB) continue to fund projects to find new uses for U.S. soybeans. Bob Haselwood of Kansas, serves as Treasurer of the USB, he talked with Dave Russell during the NAFB Trade Talk in Kansas City about a new use that has a huge market potential.

Audio: Bob Haselwood, Director, United Soybean Board (4:20 mp3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Innovations Tagged With: , , , ,

Supporting biotechnology for the farm

June 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

During the recent “Decade of the Bean” event at Monsanto headquarters in St. Louis, Doug Winter a farmer from Southeastern Illinois and farmer leader on the United Soybean Board (USB) talked with Dave Russell about the soybean checkoff’s support of biotechnology and about his use of biotechnology on his Illinois farm.

Audio: Doug Winter, Director, United Soybean Board (3:50 mp3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Innovations Tagged With: , , , ,

The impact of regulations on the price of food

March 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At news conference at the 2012 Commmodity Classic in Nashville, the United Soybean Board (USB) relased a study that shows what increased regulations on the livestock sector could mean for the price of food in the U.S. Lewis Bainbridge of South Dakota, Chairman of the United Soybean Board’s Doemstic Marketing Committee says the study shows that not only will regulations increase the price of meat, milk and eggs, it will also cost Americans jobs.

Audio: Lewis Bainbridge, SD, United Soybean Board (2:00 MP3)

Filed Under: 2012 Commodity Classic, 2012 Events, Featured, Special Reports Tagged With: , , , , ,

USB at National Farm Machinery Show

February 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The United Soybean Board took advantage of large crowds attending the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville last week to talk to farmers about the importance of soybeans to all facets of the agriculture industry.  Karen Fear, an Indiana farmer and USB Director says one specific area they focused on was the significance the livestock industry is to soybean farmers.

AUDIO: Karen Fear, Director United Soybean Board (4:30mp3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Innovations Tagged With: , , ,

Soybean checkoff to support aquaculture

December 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At their December board meeting in St. Louis this week, the United Soybean Board (USB) identified animal agriculture, the biggest domestic user of soy, as their top checkoff priority in 2012.

USB director, Jim Call of Minnesota, says included in animal agriculture is the aquaculture industry, both in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.

“But the thing about aquaculture that you have to keep in mind, is that in the past they have been fed fish meal, which is not a sustainable feed source,” said Call. “One of the priorities of the United Soybean Board and the International Marketing program is to try and get these aquaculture producers switched over to a plant based diet which incorporates soybean meal, so that’s a huge area we are working in and we see it as a huge advantage for U.S. soybean farmers.”

Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing meat sector in the world.

Filed Under: Crops, Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: , , ,

United Soybean Board elects new leaders

December 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

For the farmer leaders of the United Soybean Board (USB), it has been a very busy December board meeting. In addition to celebrating the 20th anniversary of the soybean checkoff, board members elected a new officer team lead by Vanessa Kummer of Colfax, North Dakota. Kummer says her goals as chairperson include implementing the new strategic plan, as well as improve leadership development.

“I also intend to really upgrade the amount of leadership opportunities and training that our directors have on this board and at the state level,” Kummer said. “We are being charged by USDA to have more diversity and I think this needs to start at the state level where some of the directors would come from.”

Joining Kummer as officers are Jim Stillman of Iowa, Vice Chair, Jim Call of Minnesota, Secretary, Bob Haselwood of Kansas was elected Treasurer.

Executive Committee members include: Lewis Bainbridge of South Dakota, Russ Carpenter of New York, Sharon Covert of Illinois, Jim Shriver, Indiana, Jimmy Sneed, Mississippi and Rick Stern, New Jersey.

Audio: Vanessa Kummer, Chairperson, United Soybean Board (4:20 MP3)

Filed Under: Crops, Events/Organizations, News, Top Stories Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts