Considering that some 60% of US-grown soybeans is exported in the form of bean, meal, or oil, the state of the world is critical to the success of America soybean farmers. In addition to the usual challenges – weather, MRLs, regulations, pests of all sorts, 2020 has added COVID-19 (coronavirus), tariffs, and trade agreements.

The US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) was created to differentiate, build a preference for, and ensure market access for U.S. soy, says CEO, Jim Sutter.

He said: “We have been trying to diversify markets. We’ve got a big presence in China. We’ve been working in markets all around the world, and we’re very appreciative of U.S. farmers and the way they produce the crop sustainably. That is a great thing for us to be marketing.”

The USSEC works in countries around the world to expand access for U.S. soy growers. It’s not about building the soy markets in those countries. It’s about bringing U.S. soy to those markets, which often means assuring foreign governments and growers that it’s not about replacing native producers. “If the government is not supportive of what it is that we’re doing, we better tread very lightly,” Sutter says. “And, in some of these places they produce a few soybeans themselves. We try not to go in and give the impression that we’re going to put their producers out of business. We want to work with their poultry industry; we want to work with their feed industry — improve the hygiene or feed safety, improve the way they produce their poultry, grow demand, but not put their producers out of business.” Agribusiness News