Northwest Iowa — Area soybean producers would be rewarded for quality over quantity if an effort to reinvent the price structure of soybeans is successful.
John Motter is Chairman of the United Soybean Board, and he says area growers have been forced to work within a system that prefers supply over demand which
, he says, is a major reason for the slumping ag economy.
He calls soybean farmers “price takers” instead of price makers, but a new strategic vision placing more emphasis on oil and protein content has the potential to change
that.
The next step would be to engage major seed companies in developing varieties containing higher oil and protein content. Motter is asking farmers to be patient as the USB works toward these goals.
Motter says there should be more to growing soybeans than bushels and he envisions a system based on quality that benefits the bottom line of the farmer. Iowa was the number two soybean producing state in the U-S last year, with just over 550 million bushels. Illinois topped the list with just under 561 million bushels produced in 2016.
For more information, visit https://unitedsoybean.org
