In a recent poll that the board uses to guide its work, only 15% picked "maintaining the U.S. livestock and poultry industries" as the top priority for the Board, said Marc Curtis, a Leland, Mississippi farmer who is Board chairman.

In the coming year, the Board will be doing more to educate producers on the importance of livestock. In the U.S., that industry uses 98% of soybean meal. And most of the soybeans and meal exported go to livestock as well. Exports take up half of U.S. soybean production.

Here are some of the results of the Board's poll:

• Maintaining livestock and poultry industries 15%
• Developing new industrial uses................. 10%
• Developing seed traits............................. 34%
• International market access......................... 7%
• Increasing export markets and sales............ 21%
• OTHER (DNR) (Specify ________)........... 1%
• COMBINATION/ALL (DNR).................. 11% 
  
• NONE (DNR).......................................... 1%