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United Soybean Board sets checkoff budget and priorities

Soybean growers outlined the 2023 priorities for their checkoff program.

Doug Winter is a United Soybean Board member from Mill Shoals, Illinois.  He tells Brownfield the checkoff will be funding many good projects including clean energy, improvement in best management practices, and helping improve soybean product exports. “We have been quite blessed of course with good yields last year and excellent prices. Collections have been up substantially this year and that’s given us the leeway to be able to go into some more detailed projects and especially in some of the production areas and some of the export programs that we’re working on.”

Board member Chuck Prellwitz from Ripon, Wisconsin tells Brownfield the checkoff will put a lot of effort into expanding the availability and use of biodiesel beyond trucks to railroad and maritime use. “We don’t really have to work very hard at it because they’re looking for it. It’s a green energy and they’re being driven to use more green energy, so they’re looking for something to use that can satisfy their stockholders.”

The United Soybean Board met in Kalamazoo, Michigan Wednesday, where they approved a 2023 program budget of 163.7 million dollars.  Although USB checkoff revenue is up 17%, Prellwitz says there are still tough decisions to make about which projects get funded.