USDA Proposes to Adjust Membership of the United Soybean Board

Jun 18, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking comments on a proposal to reapportion the United Soybean Board’s member representation by adding a member from New York and removing a member from North Dakota. The proposed adjustment is necessary to reflect shifts in soybean production levels occurring in each state since the last board reapportionment in 2021 and as required by the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act (Act).

Membership on the board is reviewed every three years and adjusted, if necessary, as required by the Act. The changes would be included in the Soybean Promotion and Research Order and would be effective for the 2025 board appointment process. The reapportionments would not affect the total number of Board membership, which would remain at 77 members.

The proposed rule for this action was published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2024. Comments must be received by July 17, 2024. Comments received before the deadline will be posted online and made available for public review.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.