The Soybean Pod

There is a list of attributes that apply to one of the 2024 South Dakota Soybean Checkoff board retirees. She’s in demand for her advice, leadership, and instruction. As a farmer, Heather Beaner refers to herself as a “unicorn,” being the daughter who took over her father’s farm. That came after earning a law degree and after two decades of service as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Air Force. Beaner retired from the Air Force at an impressive rank that comes in handy for leaders. Agriculture is better because of it.

What’s in a name? For Prairie Aquatech, it’s plenty. The firm was founded in Brookings by two South Dakota State University professors who discovered a way to amp up protein in soybean meal-based fish food through a fermenting process. Fast forward a few years, and Prairie Aquatech has hit Fast Forward to include pet foods and swine rations. So now the company is known as Houdek, a nod to Eastern South Dakota’s native soil type, with a test bed “Back Forty” in Brookings, South Dakota, and a processing plant seven miles down the road in the compact town of Volga, South Dakota.

Four undergraduate students from South Dakota State University competed in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Hult Prize, which was considered by many to be the Nobel Prize among college students. The four and an SDSU professor developed a method to turn soybean hulls, which have little value, into biodegradable plastic bags. The idea fits nicely into the Hult Prize goal of solving global issues through social entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, the SDSU team did not advance to the final round in London, where the $1 million prize is to be awarded, but in this edition of the Soybean Pod, the high-achieving SDSU team members have a story that soybean farmers should hear.

The Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) is partnering with trucking companies to keep rigs rolling sustainably. The organization is providing free samples of soy-based Gear Head Fifth Wheel Lubricant Pads. “Soybean oil is one of the most effective ways of displacing petroleum-based products,” said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the coalition, in this edition of the Soybean Pod. Indeed, the 3-inch-by-3-inch pads (picture a square hockey puck), are listed on USDA’s BioPreferred product program. The pads are easy to use, clean, affordable and come with the added benefit of a marketing assist for soybean farmers, according to Steenhoek. While probably not a home run for soybean demand, such as exports to China, for instance, the pads are among the “base hits” that Steenhoek says are necessary for success.

A farmer from Clear Lake, South Dakota, has become well-known through his personal outreach. Adam Krause, the president of the South Dakota Pork Producers Council, is an influencer on various social media platforms that he uses to shine a light on what it takes to raise pigs. For this edition of the Soybean Pod, we took our microphones to the Krause farm, where we talked to Adam about how and why he demystified pork, corn, and soybean production. We also discuss his efforts to reach the public through his own social media cooking show.

There’s another use for soybean oil that’s proving to be sustainable from more than one perspective. A product called Roof Maxx is made from a non-toxic soybean oil base with the purpose of extending the life of asphalt shingle roofs. USDA Bio Preferred, Roof Maxx is sustainable because of its ingredients and because it can result in an additional 15 years in the life of asphalt shingles. As Roof Maxx representative AJ Nelson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, points out in this edition of The Soybean Pod, 15 years of extended roof life lengthens the time between hauling spent shingles to the landfill.

Mitchell farmer Bruce Haines is amazed at what he witnesses every day on the horizon. “I see something that is the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” said Haines, excited about progress toward completion of South Dakota’s latest soybean crush facility. The structure represents what Haines says is an opportunity to build soybean demand. Haines decided against following his grandfather and father into veterinary medicine, venturing instead into ownership of McDonald’s restaurants. His first love, however, is turning soil every spring. “Is this Heaven?” he asks. “No, it’s just a farm field in South Dakota.”

“We absolutely need aquaculture in the world.” A South Dakota company important to soybean demand was born to serve the aquaculture market. That company – Prairie Aquatech – expanded its mission to include pet food and is now Houdek. John Mollison, who does communications for the company, explains in this edition of The Soybean Pod why the company is now known by the name of eastern South Dakota’s native soil and why aquaculture is so important to the protein needs of Earth’s growing population. We also get personal with a dive into the beginnings of my and Mollison’s decades-old friendship, which began in a recording studio promoting pizza.