The Soybean Pod

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.

There are no counties in eastern South Dakota that are untouched by soybean cyst nematode, a pest that’s become well-known for reducing soybean yields wherever there is an infestation. Dr. Madalyn Shires, a plant pathologist at South Dakota State University talks on this episode of The Soybean Pod about making that important determination of whether, and to what degree, a field is infested. Dr. Shires talks about when and how to test, and that the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council foots the bill for testing.

In his young life, Tregg Cronin has seen plenty of change to the supply and demand landscape and has developed a keen insight and perspective about commodity markets and direction in the global farm economy. Cronin, who farms in Gettysburg, South Dakota, has a history in market analysis that gets attention all over the country. He’s in demand to share his thoughts about where markets are headed and what’s pushing them. He offers as much in this edition of The Soybean Pod.

One of the newest members of the South Dakota Soybean Association Board of Directors is an Edmunds County farmer who also happens to be the assistant chief of the Roscoe, South Dakota Volunteer Fire Department. In this episode of The South Dakota Soybean Pod we hear from Andy Weisser how he began farming and how he became a South Dakota Soybean Association board member. Andy also talks about how his interest in fighting fires resulted in a trip to Georgia to visit a plant that makes a fire suppressant out of soybeans.

The South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest is much more than a friendly competition for yield bragging rights. The contestants are, after all, South Dakotans, so there’s not much outward bragging even for those with the best yields. The real value of the annual contest is in the data collected each year that, with expert analysis, helps improve yields in following years, according to Cheryl Reese, a senior lecturer at South Dakota State University who teaches soybean production. In this edition of The Soybean Pod, we’ll hear from Ms. Reese what agronomic traits most contribute to improvements in yield.

As much as there is a strategy for building soybean demand domestically and globally, there is a strategy for filling that demand. We live in a hungry world, a world also in need of environmentally friendly, sustainable products, which take a huge supply of soybeans. In this episode of The Soybean Pod, United Soybean Board Supply Action Team Chair Matt Gast, from southeastern North Dakota, gives a clearer picture of the United Soybean Board’s plan for maintaining soybean supply.