Posted: 07.01.2011
Wisconsin's weather so far has helped showcase the state as it hosts the United Soybean Boards (USB) summer meeting in Milwaukee.
"It's gonna get a little hot Friday, but everybody's enjoying the state so far," said Bob Karls, executive director of the Wisconsin Soybean program. It's the first time in over 20 years that Wisconsin's had the chance to host the national grower group. "People forget that Wisconsin ranks 11th in soybean production," Karls told Pam Jahnke at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee on Thursday. "Wisconsin's proud of our relationship with state extension and our researchers. We have our own things going on - and it's nice to be able to showcase some of that in this meeting."
Wisconsin soybean growers contribute "check-off" dollars to the USB to be used for specific guidelines in research, international development, and communications. Two growers - Nancy Kavazanjian of Beaver Dam and Bob Derr from Sun Prairie - represent the state on the national board. Kavazanjian tells the WI Farm Report that there were two directives supported by USB in the research area. One was continuing work on mapping the genome of the soybean for better yields. The other subject hit pretty close to home for Wisconsin growers - trying to add value to the bean.
"China's our biggest customer," Kavazanjian explains, "and they want to take our soybeans and process them to add value. Well - Wisconsin farmers want to do the same thing." Kavazanjian says the USB decided to use a financial windfall of around $7 million between the two research directives. "We know that if we can crush that soybean to make soybean oil or soybean meal - we add value to that bean and it benefits growers. But in Wisconsin, for example, we know that's a very expensive process. Wisconsin has never been able to get the economics right to build a large scale soybean crush facility in the state - so we'd like to see what answers might be out there." Kavanzajian says aside from the expense of building a crush facility - the margins are extremely thin.
Meanwhile Bob Derr of Sun Prairie was looking around meeting rooms and hallways for the next young leaders of the soybean industry. Derr, who's a past president of the Wisconsin Soybean Board, says that young farmers need to step up to make these kinds of decisions for their businesses future. "I know they say they're busy - they've got family," Derr tells Pam Jahnke, "but if they don't get involved with this board - or any agriculture board - they're missing out on a fantastic chance to find out more about what's happening in the industry and really help guide it!"
The USB wraps up its summer meeting Friday afternoon.
« back to news articles
