NDSC hosts Food & Farm Tour

This article was submitted by the North Dakota Soybean Council. It appeared in the December 2024 issue of The North Dakota Soybean Growers Magazine.

On a bustling afternoon filled with fieldwork, Page farmer Jim Thompson graciously opened his combine cab to a group of curious visitors, many of whom had never experienced the soybean harvesting process or stepped foot on a North Dakota farm.

The visitors at Thompson’s farm were part of the North Dakota Soybean Council Farm & Food Tour, which brings together chefs, dietitians, nutritionists, social media influencers, Extension agents, and more to learn about soybeans from farm to fork.

“A lot of them (visitors) have never been on a farm, have never seen a soybean in a field, and most of them have never been in a combine, so the whole experience is quite amazing from the reactions that I get,” Thompson says. “Some of the social media people wanted to do interviews in the combine to get answers to questions they have or, if they’re a blogger, some questions that their readers have. A lot of it is dispelling some myths and just trying to get facts out there about how we produce soybeans, what they’re used for, and the manner in which we do it.”

The Farm & Food Tour featured more than a dozen participants from across the state and country as well as students from North Dakota State College of Science’s culinary program.

“We always include a farm visit for two reasons,” states North Dakota Soybean Council Outreach and Engagement Director Shireen Alemadi. “First, they can meet a farmer and ask them questions about soybeans from planting to harvest and everything in between. Second, they are able to take a ride in a combine and see how harvest actually happens and learn about how updates in technology help farmers.”

In addition to the farm visit, participants also spent time in the classroom and kitchen, receiving updated soy health information from nutrition expert Mark Messina, Ph.D., director of nutrition science and research at the Soy Nutrition Institute Global, and cooking ideas from Soyfoods Council Executive Director Linda Funk. The two-day tour truly gave participants a farm-to-fork experience.

“The participants learned the latest about soy; got to see how soybeans are harvested; learned about processing soybeans to ship to buyers; and, finally, they got into the kitchen to do the hands-on application of incorporating soy products to everyday meals and tasting all their creations,” Alemadi explains.

Educating Educators

Many participants work to educate people about nutrition through dietary counseling, writing, media appearances or community health outlets. Having the opportunity to be on a working soybean farm and later to learn how to incorporate soy into nutritious recipes was a full-circle experience.

“My experience has been really eye-opening,” asserts Tori Lee, community cooking coordinator at Family Wellness in Fargo. “I knew a little bit about soy before coming here, but it’s been a great opportunity to try different soy foods, but also have the opportunity to have that physical application and learn more about the farmers that we have in North Dakota. Living here, it’s important to know a lot about these commodity groups and the different organizations that support them.”

Julie Lopez is a dietitian, chef and author who traveled to the Farm & Food Tour from New Jersey. Like many of the participants, she had never ridden in a combine before.

“This has been a really great experience, especially really learning the farm-to-table story of soy,” Lopez says. “I think the farm tours are such an eye-opening experience because, as a cooking instructor, I like to tell that story through my classes, and this trip has just given me a lot of new ideas to spark how to use soy in my cooking classes and get consumers excited about soy.”

Emily Dudensing is a dietitian from Lubbock, Texas. She’s also a farmer. “My favorite part of the program was going to the farms and riding on the combine,” Dudensing states. “We are farmers ourselves, and so that part was really neat to see how people in other parts of the United States farm, seeing their methods and comparing them to what we do. I think it hits home.”

For Thompson, the visitors may have disrupted his normal fall harvest routine for an afternoon, but the event gave him an opportunity to showcase the care and attention farmers give the food they produce for people of influence.

“I wanted to leave them (visitors) with the peace of mind that we’re out here doing the best we can for the land and for the consumer because it benefits all of us to do a good job of what we do,” Thompson contends. “We’re educating people who have a pretty big audience that they can educate because they’ve learned firsthand from someone, and they’ll have video proof or picture proof and a firsthand account of how we do things, and that speaks volumes.”

North Dakota dietitians, nutritionists, chefs, and other culinary professionals who want to participate in a future Food & Farm Tour should contact Shireen Alemadi at salemadi@ndsoybean.org.

To learn more about adding soy to your diet, visit soyconnection.com or thesoyfoodscouncil.com.