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High oleic soybean production expands into Minnesota

The footprint for high oleic soybeans is getting bigger.

DuPont Pioneer and CHS Processing and Food Ingredients will be offering production contracts for Pioneer brand Plenish high oleic soybeans in 2017.

DuPont Pioneer director of food and industry markets Russ Sanders says the contracted beans will be processed at CHS’s Fairmont facility in southern Minnesota.

“They’ll be in the range of about 25,000 acre-or so program, which is a terrific place to start.”

The soybean industry has set a goal of 18 million planted acres by 2023, which would make high oleic soybeans the fourth largest grain and oilseed crop in the U.S.

Sanders tells Brownfield DuPont Pioneer has an outstanding variety for southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.

“It’s going to be a 2.0 variety, which is really a nice fit.  It’s a really high performance (soybean) from a yield and agronomic standpoint.”

And Sanders says CHS is a great partner because of their connectivity with farmers in the region.

“And also their downstream market development and relationship capabilities.  They’re a perfect partner for us and are going to do great things with this product.”

He says there are currently 40 to 50 cent premiums for the trans-fat-free soybeans, and Minnesota will become the 12th state to grow high oleic varieties.

Brownfield spoke to Sanders at the 2016 Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa.