When a group of U.S. soybean farmers stepped off a plane in China last month, they anticipated a celebration of 30 years of partnership. What they got, however, was a whole lot more. The work of the soy checkoff through the United Soybean Board (USB) and its international marketing arm, the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), has paid dividends in China and the officials wanted to make sure these farmers knew it.
“We’re more than just a supplier of soybeans, but that is part of it,” says Vanessa Kummer, a soybean farmer from Colfax, N.D., and chair of USB. “We’ve helped them improve their food safety and, during this visit, we heard how much they appreciate it.”
The Chinese aquaculture industry is a big part of this partnership. The soy checkoff funds projects that help increase the food safety and growth rates for fish farmers, and the group of U.S. soy farmers heard about the positive success of these programs.