Apply to Participate in the SD International Marketing Program to Seattle, WA

Gray's Harbor Port in Seattle, Washington

This year, the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (SDSR&PC) is organizing a See For Yourself mission to Grays Harbor in Seattle, WA in March. This trip is an all expenses paid experience that will give soybean farmers the opportunity to see first-hand how your checkoff program is working.

On behalf of the South Dakota soybean checkoff, we invite you to apply for this year’s See For Yourself mission, March 12-15, 2012. Four South Dakota soybean farmers will be selected to participate in the program.

The See For Yourself trip will highlight the importance of exports and international marketing to the soybean industry. Since soybeans became a net U.S. export in the 1940’s, the soybean checkoff has invested in overseas markets to increase demand for U.S. soybeans and value-added products, such as pork and beef. Because export markets are critical to the success of the soybean industry, it’s key for farmers to become familiar with how and where your soybeans are shipped.

Farmers who are selected for the mission will have the chance to tour various facilities and meet with industry leaders. Grays Harbor is the leader in U.S. exports of soybean meal. This port is particularly important to South Dakota soybean farmers because the majority of your soybeans are transported through their facilities.

Other places the group will visit on the See For Yourself tour include:

• AGP facility—AGP is the largest, farmer-owned cooperative, and is also the largest soybean processor in the world.
• Imperium Renewables Biodiesel Plant—Imperium Renewables is the nation’s largest BQ-9000 certified biodiesel refiner, which is capable of producing up to 100 million gallons per year.
• CHS, Inc facility—CHS, Inc. is a leading cooperative, owned by farmers, ranchers and co-ops across the United States.

If you are interested in participating in the See For Yourself program, please submit your application prior to February 1. View the Application Form.

If you have any questions contact the SDSRPC office at 605.330.9942 or sdsrpc@sdsoybean.org.

Farmers Have the Opportunity to Travel to Mexico to Learn More About International Checkoff Programs

The United Soybean Board (USB) invites soybean farmers to apply for the See For Yourself (SFY) program. Any soybean farmer interested in learning about checkoff programs in the U.S. and Mexico can apply to participate in the fifth year of SFY, which will run July 29-August 4, 2012. The program is an opportunity to showcase the soybean checkoff in action to soybean farmers from across the country. The goal of SFY is to highlight the checkoff’s broad scope of activities across all programs, allowing farmers the opportunity to ask questions and provide their perspectives.

Tim Even, a farmer from Humboldt, participated in the SFY tour last year. Even toured a local tilapia farm in Jamay, Mexico, 70 miles from Guadalajara. Molina’s Tilapia farm uses 100 percent U.S. soybean meal in their feed rations.

“Prior to the ‘See for Yourself’ trip, I just knew the checkoff deducts dollars from my soybean check. I knew they helped with exports, but beyond that, I had limited knowledge,” Even said. “I would recommend applying for the program because it really gives you a comprehensive overview of the soybean checkoff and why it’s important.”

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Discover the new and innovative ways soy is being used by the industrial sector
• Watch demonstrations of vehicles using biodiesel
• Tour international livestock facilities that use U.S. soybean meal as primary feed source
• Walk though an aquaculture farm that uses U.S. soybean meal as its primary protein source
• Learn about Mexico’s thriving aquaculture sector and U.S. soy’s role
• Sample a variety of soy foods from Mexican retail markets
• Explore a soybean and palm oil refinery that uses the latest industry technology

There are openings for 10 soybean farmers to participate in this year’s program. Interested farmers can fill out the short application. Travel, lodging and meal expenses are covered by the See For Yourself program.