Checkoff

Your soybean checkoff at work. See how the following checkoff programs affect your soy crops. Click a category below to see details.

Animal Agriculture

Animal agriculture is U.S. soy’s No. 1 customer at home and abroad, and both industries rely on this strong relationship. Though soy meal faces competition from alternative feed ingredients and other countries that are producing more and more soybeans each year, the checkoff works hard to protect U.S. soy’s share of the animal feed market.

The Impact of Animal Agriculture

Domestic animal agriculture remains important to all U.S. soybean farmers. Not only do poultry, swine and fish consume the meal from billions of soybeans each year, the sector also supports local communities.

Want to Learn More? Find out how much impact animal ag has at the state level using this interactive tool.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel helps drive demand for U.S. soy oil, which continues to serve as the primary feedstock for U.S. manufacturing of the beneficial renewable fuel. Biodiesel is the only domestically produced and commercially available fuel to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of an advanced biofuel. It provides one of the best carbon-reduction strategies available with today’s vehicle technologies.

Biodiesel’s Impact on Animal Ag

Biodiesel works for poultry and livestock farmers, soybean’s No. 1 customer, to lower meal prices and increase animal carcass value. Increased biodiesel production can make a big impact on animal farmers’ bottom lines.

International

More than half of every crop travels across U.S. borders to foreign markets. Projections show demand from booming Asian economies will continue to grow, so international markets could offer U.S. soybean farmers more opportunity than ever before.

New Uses

Soybeans offer an abundant and renewable supply of ingredients, making it possible for companies to reduce the petroleum content in commercial and industrial products. The soy checkoff partners with manufacturers to commercialize new soy-based products, giving farmers and others even more opportunities to buy products that contain U.S. soy.

Sustainability

U.S. soybean farmers know how much pride they take in protecting both land and water resources. But that doesn’t make it any less important to tell that story to the world. As more customers demand sustainably produced products, it’s important for all soybean farmers to consider practices that will meet those demands for their farms.

U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol

Customers of U.S. soy are growing more concerned about the sustainability of the products they buy. The U.S. soy family has introduced the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol to demonstrate the sustainability of U.S. soy to international and domestic customers. The protocol is based on existing aggregated data collected from farmers nationwide who participate in national conservation programs. The information serves as proof that the U.S. soy crop is produced under a system of sustainability that includes everything from water conservation to energy use.

Food

Soybeans provide many sources of sustenance. The meal serves as a nutritious alternative for protein in diets, and the food industry utilizes the oil in a variety of ways, including as an ingredient in salad dressings and margarines or for baking and frying. Soy oil is one of the leading vegetable oils used worldwide.