It’s an important message that’s been shared often with soybean farmers: Quality Matters! Soybeans with higher levels of protein and oil create more demand, which can improve soybean farmers’ bottom lines.
“The price that U.S. farmers receive for their soybeans is directly related to the quality of those soybeans,” says University of Minnesota Associate Professor and Extension Agronomist Seth Naeve, Ph.D. “Higher quality equals higher prices.”
If farmers are interested in seeing how their soybeans stack up, the soy checkoff’s annual Crop Quality Survey measures the quality components of the U.S. crop to help ensure demand for U.S. soy remains high.
“We develop the Crop Quality Survey to help buyers of U.S. soy with their upcoming purchases,” Naeve says. “Our international competitors do not provide this level of service. Therefore, this activity helps maintain loyalty among our best customers.”
U.S. soybean farmers can participate in this year’s survey by requesting a kit by email at naeve002@umn.edu and sending back a sample of this year’s crop.