U.S. soy family works to continue to build U.S. soy's relationship with China
ST. LOUIS (April 1, 2014) - Farmers representing countries that produce 90 percent of the world's soybeans recently met with the customers who buy 25 percent of the world's soybeans. As part of the International Soy Growers Alliance (ISGA), leaders from the soy checkoff, American Soybean Association (ASA), and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) met with customers and government officials in China to discuss the farmers' commitment to providing a safe and abundant supply of soybeans and the importance of eliminating trade barriers.
"China is without a doubt the largest importer of U.S. and South American soy, so it's really powerful when we can stand side-by-side with farmers we usually consider competitors to deliver a message," says Jared Hagert, soybean farmer from Emerado, N.D., and United Soybean Board (USB) treasurer. "Our common goal is to build on these partnerships and strengthen trade relations so we can remain the premier supplier of soy for China."
One trade barrier that concerns soybean farmers is the approval of soybeans improved through the use of biotechnology. While in China, the ISGA delegation will highlight the importance of timely, transparent approval processes of new biotech soybeans to help keep trade moving smoothly.
"There's really no way to overstate just how important the Chinese market is for soybean farmers, not only here in the U.S., but in South America as well," added Ray Gaesser, ASA president and soybean farmer from Corning, Iowa. "The cooperation and coordination of our three organizations - ASA, USB and USSEC - makes our partnership with our South American counterparts possible, and the more we're able to stand together as the world's primary producers of soy, the stronger we can make this trading partnership and the more each of our countries stands to benefit. That's why we're all here, together, in interest of farmers, consumers and stakeholders in each country."
ISGA brings together soybean farmers from South America and the United States to address common issues. Its members include Argentine, Brazilian, Paraguayan, Uruguayan and U.S. soybean farmers.
The 70 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy's customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.
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