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I'm currently serving as the USB team leader for the Select Yield and Quality Initiative (SYQ), and I'm also chair of the USB Oil Task Force. Both committees are very concerned about soybean yields.
The SYQ Initiative was started because our average U.S. soybean crop has been trending lower in protein levels, while our important export customers have been demanding higher soybean protein levels.
Soybeans raised by our competitors in Brazil tend to have higher levels of protein than U.S. soybeans. So, how do we compete? Of course, yield is king with U.S. soybean producers, and should be.
So, the SYQ Initiative is working with soybean farmers, processors, and seed companies to address this issue. The USB is encouraging soybean farmers to ask their seed dealers about varieties that are not only high yielding, but that also contain at least 19% oil and 35% protein.
Processors are starting to offer programs that reward farmers for soybeans that test higher in oil and protein. Seed companies are screening their new varieties not only for yield and agronomic traits, but also for higher oil and protein content.
If farmers would simply choose varieties with adequate oil and protein levels (19/35) while not giving up yield potential, a USB study predicts basis levels would improve enough to provide up to 15 cents more per bushel to the producer.
The Oil Task Force was formed this past spring to study the impact of higher soybean oil demand from greatly increased biodiesel and industrial uses of soybean oil. Historically, the value of the soybean has come from it's protein, or meal, while oil has been more or less a by-product.
That could be about to change. Biodiesel production is expected to increase from 25 million gallons this past year, to 75 million gallons this year. In 10 to 15 years, biodiesel production could be 1 billion gallons annually. How can soybean farmers meet this demand? Soybean varieties with a higher oil content would help, but a significant increase in yield would also be very important to meeting demand.
I know these topics don't provide any direct useful information for farmers to increase soybean yields on their farms. Yet, they are tied closely to yield, and are very important for the future profitability of raising soybeans in the U.S.
We should strive for higher soybean yields, but we should also remember the additional aspects of the soybean that can work hand-in-hand with yield to enhance soybean profitability. High quality high yield should be our goal for the future.
Chuck Myers is a Lyons, Nebraska, farmer, who currently serves as a United Soybean Board director and serves on USB's domestic marketing committee. He also serves on the National Biodiesel Board. Always eager to learn more about agriculture, he keeps up on technologies like precision agriculture and field mapping.
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