MSU Research ‘Critical’ to Michigan Soybean Production

By Cameron Rudolph

Roughly 12,000 farmers throughout Michigan produce soybeans, a versatile crop used in several products from food and animal feed to biodiesel.

According to the Michigan Soybean Committee (MSC) — a farmer-led organization that manages annual contributions from growers known as the soybean checkoff — Michigan’s soybean farms encompass more than 2.2 million acres.

Mark Seamon, MSC research director, said Michigan State University research is one of the primary components of producing a successful crop each year.

“We look at research from Michigan State as critical to soybean production in Michigan,” he said. “We think it has a significant effect on the yield of our soybean crop. Now that we’re in a situation of being pretty close to the cost of production (with respect to revenue), we need to make sure we’re economically sustainable, and MSU research takes that into consideration.”