SSGA making early strides in identity-preserved industry

By Eric Wenberg

Sometimes life comes at you quickly. Those words definitely define my short time as executive director of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA).

Hopefully by now, you’ve learned a little bit more about the goals and missions of SSGA, and you’ve had time to adjust to being part of a bigger family than you enjoyed with your Midwest Shippers Association or Northern Food Grade Soybean Association memberships.

The work SSGA has set out to do is no small task. When the average person thinks about agriculture, is it safe to say they only think commodity farming? Probably. When you truly look at agriculture as a whole, we are one specialized group among many. Who then represents the farmers, processors and shippers of identity-preserved soya and grains and the products produced from those crops?

We do.

ATP grant moving along

The ATP USDA grant process is an amazing opportunity for SSGA and your business. When you hear people in the industry say this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, those words couldn’t ring truer.

We’re proud to carry the banner on this exciting grant project. The $1.5 million will go toward branding of U.S. IP soya, and to the development of a digital hub for U.S. IP products. The grant awarded is for soybeans and shipping/logistics of soya products. For those of you worried specialty grains will be left out of this project, rest easy – we are working on that as well.

The ATP funds are supposed to help all those engaged in agricultural trade. As an alliance promoting IP use, we want to make sure our grains members get resources for their hard work.  Promoting U.S. IP practices abroad will be an effective way for you to draw value from the strict soya and grains supply chains you operate. In an era where consumers drive agricultural trends and trade, working together as an IP industry will keep us on the cutting edge of innovation. The ATP grant will help us act cohesively, just as we match the grant with our funds and other contributions from partner organizations.

SSGA membership structure

On April 17, SSGA formally adopted its membership structure. We currently are creating new membership materials and hope to have something unveiled to you shortly. Please look for a formal unveiling of SSGA’s membership structure soon. Renew with us when you hear about it.

One note about membership: As stated above, agriculture is becoming more and more specialized. When you look at agriculture across our great nation, ask yourself which groups are prioritizing the identity-preserved soya and grains industry. Looking at the ATP grant awards, the answer is pretty clear — SSGA exists to serve your industry.

U.S.-Japan trade update

As previously published, on just my second day on the job, SSGA met with officials at the Japanese embassy in late March to discuss barriers to trade. One of the issues we discussed was testing for trace amounts of GM material in food grade soybeans and grain. Lower minimum tolerances for trace purposes of GM material in conventional shipments can create trade difficulties from all country suppliers for this type of food product.

Since our visit, Japanese officials have confirmed Japan plans to hold off on implementing a lower threshold rule until at least April of 2023. However, if an agreement cannot be reached in the bilateral trade negotiations, there is a strong possibility an identity-preserved label will be created. We want our trade negotiators to stop this outcome.

Labels are confusing, and when things are confusing, people tend to shy away. We don’t want Japan or any other country to shy away from our soya and grains products. If an IP label is established, we’d need to act quickly to educate Japanese consumers that our products are safe, wholesome and affordable.

Either way, the delay in the threshold limit was a win for SSGA. We achieved this reprieve by working with other commodity groups, which really hits home the importance of building strong relationships with national and state ag organizations and harnessing those relationships. SSGA continue to leverage our partnerships with state and national ag organizations as we monitor the situation.

The IP industry is a garden to grow. I look forward to sowing this industry with you.