Whether a U.S. soybean farmer is in the field or meeting with customers halfway around the world, animal ag is the No. 1 user of his or her crop wherever they are. Therefore, producing a high-quality product is crucial, whether it’s going across the street or around the globe.
U.S. soybean meal is an excellent source of protein, essential amino acids and other valuable nutrients, which is why the animal ag sector continues to use the meal from 97 percent of U.S. soybeans. However, it’s important for U.S. soybean farmers to continue to improve their soybean quality to make sure their biggest customers keep coming back for more.
Soy checkoff farmer-leader Scott Singlestad of Waseca, Minnesota, and American Soybean Association (ASA) Director Bret Davis of Delaware, Ohio, recently met with representatives of the Spanish Feed Association and Spanish processors to receive an overview of the U.S.’s current Spanish soy feed business and discuss how U.S. soy meets their needs in poultry and livestock feed.
“When compared to the competition, they felt that U.S. soybean meal was much more consistent,” Singlestad said. “These customers are always looking at protein quality of our soybeans and our competitors’, so we should always strive to provide as high-quality of a product as possible.”
Better soybean quality increases demand, which improves a soybean farmer’s bottom line. Seed selection is the best way to improve soybean quality. Just ask your seed dealer or use the soy checkoff’s Soybean Quality Toolbox to find varieties that will produce more of these components without sacrificing yield.
Spain imported more than 29 million bushels of whole U.S. soybeans in the most recent marketing year, seventh-most in the world. It also imported more than 107,000 metric tons of U.S. soybean meal, which is the meal from nearly 5 million bushels.
“The checkoff has been focusing a lot of marketing efforts in the European Union, and, in part because of those efforts, our market in Europe has increased substantially in the last few years,” Singlestad said. “They need the soybean meal to raise their livestock, and they are becoming big fans of what we’re producing.”
Source: Unitedsoybean