Shopping around to find the best bang for your buck is a common practice for customers of nearly all products. Consumers want to be assured they are getting a high quality product for their investment. For domestic and international soybean customers, there’s no need to shop around as they can be assured that U.S. soy meets all their needs thanks to the U.S. Soy Advantage.
Founded on innovation, the U.S. Soy Advantage focuses on continuous improvement and meeting customer needs.
Four key elements act as the backbone to support the U.S. Soy Advantage: exceptional composition, consistent supply, sustainable farming and innovation beyond the bushel.
- Exceptional Composition – The livestock and poultry industry consume 97 percent of U.S. soybean meal, making them U.S. soybean farmers’ number one customer. Don’t worry about feeding your animals high quality meal when you buy U.S. soy. U.S. soybeans have a strong meal nutritional package (protein, amino acids and energy) and elite oil functionality and performance. “U.S. soybeans have attributes the competition is lacking. Today, it’s not just about protein levels. U.S. soy has high amino acid content, allowing for animals to have high quality meal,” says United Soybean Board (USB) farmer-leader from Tennessee, John Dodson. This focus on quality gives U.S. soy the edge over the competition and ensures the U.S. remains the leader in the soy industry.
- Consistent Supply – Due to the excellent transportation system and production levels of U.S. soy, your soy will be on time when you need it. “The timely movement of soybeans from the first point of delivery to the end user is vital to keeping U.S. soybean farmers competitive,” says Mary Lou Smith, soybean farmer from Petersburg, Michigan. “It’s important that we maintain a competitive edge nationally and internationally.”
- Sustainable Farming Practices – Sustainability is a focus from the beginning to the end of the soybean value chain, including for consumers. “A recent study conducted by Unilever shows that a third of global consumers are choosing to buy from brands that they believe are doing social or environmental good. And 78 percent of U.S. consumers say they feel better when buying products that are sustainably produced,” says Stefani Millie Grant, senior manager of External Affairs and Sustainability for Unilever. “As a global consumer-goods company, Unilever has made a commitment to source 100 percent of its soybeans from farmers who use sustainable practices.”Striving for continuous improvement, U.S. soybean farmers are committed to protecting the environment while efficiently producing soy. USB, the American Soybean Association, the U.S. Soybean Export Council and the state soybean boards have introduced the U.S. Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) to demonstrate the sustainability of U.S. soy to international and domestic customers. The protocol is based on existing aggregate 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.
- Innovation Beyond the Bushel – The soy industry is constantly in a state of change and the U.S. soy industry promises to adapt with it. Whether it be seed development, production practices or marketing opportunities, the U.S. soy industry will work to meet the demands of a growing world while protecting natural resources.
Why is the U.S. Soy Advantage so important? It affects all links of the value chain from farmers to elevators to end users.
The U.S. soybean industry is continuously working to keep its competitive advantage. “In the U.S., we communicate, research, promote and support our soybeans. No other country can say they do that,” says Dodson. “That’s what sets us apart.”
