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Minnesota farmers plant high oleic soybeans for first time

A south-central Minnesota farm family is excited about growing high oleic soybeans for the first time.

Rochelle Krusemark farms with her husband and two sons in Martin County near Trimont.

“The (high oleic soybeans) went into the ground (Thursday), and we will be delivering those to CHS in Fairmont for processing.  Then they’ll go up to Mankato to be refined.”

CHS and DuPont Pioneer are offering production contracts for Pioneer brand Plenish high oleic soybeans in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa this year.

Krusemark says the premium was not the main reason her family decided to join the program.

“The health benefits of high oleic oil are the zero trans fats and about half the saturated fat as regular commodity soybean oil.  And it’s another market, (and) the more diverse our marketing can be, that’s good for all soybean growers.”

DuPont Pioneer director of food and industry markets Russ Sanders told Brownfield last summer they expect the region to produce around 25,000 acres the first year.