Written by Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Project Field Leader for the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Checkoff
The United Soybean Board (USB) is investing soybean checkoff dollars to help create new opportunities for increased demand and improved profitability for U.S. soybean farmers. For every $1 from checkoffs invested, $12.34 is returned to soybean farmers. More important than the financial benefits is the knowledge gained to improve efficiency and productivity.
The United Soybean Board is made up of soybean producers from across the country. One of those farmer members is Laurie Eisley. Eisley is a Michigan soybean grower and currently chairs the Health and Nutrition Supply Committee. The Health and Nutrition Supply Board plays a key role in directing how funding is invested in areas such as plant health research, soil health and best management practices. “These three areas have a direct impact on farmers,” Eisley says. “Doing research is part of the job. The other part is getting information to farmers through communication and education.”
A large job is made up of several smaller tasks. “USB plays the role of a portfolio maker,” Eisley said. “Before we start a project, we look at the big picture and work to identify if there are any gaps. We rely heavily on farmers and executives to guide us on what they are experiencing. We provide direct on-farm guidance to farmers, including disease and weed resistance, soil health concerns, and overall sustainability. We look at the things that affect us. We’re working to find solutions.”
The overall goal is to invest in soybean cultivation to meet future needs for plant and soil health and nutrition. “We have some success stories,” Eisley says. “We are working to develop drought-tolerant soybean varieties and are in use across the country. We are using genetics and soybean breeding programs to develop beans with greater resistance to SCN. We have gone to great lengths to measure and implement practices that can lead to improved soil health and conservation, and ultimately sustainability. That’s what customers want on the demand side. They’re asking about sustainability.”
USB works with farmers and researchers to determine whether the research being conducted is applicable on their farms, and supports the conduct of research by providing data that meets farmers’ needs.
“We don’t know what we don’t know,” Eisley said. “We are serious about understanding how to use the data we collect on the farm. We do a lot of comparative testing. We’re always looking for resources to learn more, including from some regional organizations supported by USB, such as the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP). It could be from a national research project. We want to make sure that the research reported to farmers is accurate, actionable, and timely. We also want to make sure that the research reported to farmers is accurate, actionable, and timely. It also needs to be compatible with the growing environment in the farmer’s area.”
