International soyfood leaders complete week of learning

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For Yan Small, specialty soybeans grown and processed in Minnesota are perfect for her tofu.

Sure, they’re conveniently located, as her business, MinnTofu, is based in the heart of the North Star State. But, she says, “there’s something about the soybeans here.”

Speaking to an international trade team during the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s “Fork to Farm” event at the historic Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minnesota, on June 10, Small showed off her locally sourced, handmade tofu and soymilk products, talked about the growth of her young tofu and sprouts businesses and touted the beans that go into them.

Attendees sampled air-fried tofu cubes with various sauces, along with chocolate and strawberry and unflavored soy milk or “juice.”

“There’s something about the soybeans here that are very pure,” Small said. “I don’t know why it’s different.”

Small’s message seemed to resonate with the international guests, who were capping a week’s worth of learning about identity preserved soybeans and the procurement of food-grade soybeans from the United States. The trade team, one of the first from southeast Asia to come to the Upper Midwest since prior to the pandemic, included food company representatives from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. They spent the first part of the week attending a course at Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, N.D. SSGA was one of the sponsors of the course and was well-represented in its presentations.

The Fork to Farm event, sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC), included a lunch, as well as opportunities for the trade team to have informal discussions with SSGA-member companies – Grain Millers, SB&B and Scoular – and an identity preserved soybean farmer, SSGA board director Keith Schrader.

Thom Petersen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture commissioner, attended as well, along with deputy commissioner Andrea Vaubel.

“In Minnesota, we have 68,000 farmers and almost 26 million acres of farmland,” Petersen said, “and identity preserved is one of the most exciting things, I think, that has the potential to grow in the coming years.”

Schrader, who raises IP soybeans and non-GMO corn, among other crops, explained the tough, late-spring planting conditions farmers have gone through, along with the transportation issues foreign buyers need to be aware of.

“For me, as a farmer, it means as much to me to get that product to you as it means to you getting the product from us,” said Schrader, who represents MSR&PC on the SSGA board. “We’re looking forward to being able to send you some really high-quality soybeans.”

Afterward, the group moved into the farm’s teaching kitchen for Small’s tofu demonstration and the opportunity to taste her products made from Minnesota soybeans.

“She’s always open to trying new varieties to see if they will improve her product or make her product more consistent,” said Craig Tomera, identity preserved crop specialist at Grain Millers. “She wants consistency, so it’s very important to her that the first batch is the same as the last batch. Using identity preserved, we can find a variety that remains identity preserved and that ensures her that there isn’t going to be any comingling of other varieties that can ruin that texture or flavor for her.”

Earlier in the week in Fargo, the caps and gowns came out, as eight members of a trade team from Myanmar were awarded certificates as “the first graduating class of SSGA University.”

The eight Burmese representatives took online classes from the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance along with more than 20 others during an event sponsored by ASA WISHH (World Initiative for Soy in Human Health) in May. Those classes were a primer for those who traveled to the United States to participate, along with several other international guests, in NCI’s Food Grade Soybean Procurement Course that began on June 6.

After participants from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia received completion certificates from NCI, there was a surprise for the contingent from Myanmar as SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick and WISHH Asia Director Alan Poock donned mortarboards and robes and took the stage to present them with their SSGA University certificates, along with their NCI awards.

“This was the first trade team to come to NCI in more than two years, since before COVID,” Frederick said, “and we wanted to make it extra special and a little fun with some pomp and circumstance. Working with our partners at WISHH and NCI and others this week, it was a joy to be around this group that was so eager to learn.”

Besides putting on the SSGA University course for WISHH and Myanmar, SSGA helped recruit other participants to the NCI course. Some of them participated in SSGA’s IP B2B events held virtually in 2021.

During the weeklong course, they heard from, among others, several SSGA-tied individuals and organizations, including Frederick; technical advisers Hoa Huynh, Raquel Hansen and Bruce Abbe; board chairman Rob Prather of Global Processing; board directors Adam Buckentine of The Redwood Group and Bob Sinner of SB&B; past chairman Curt Petrich of HC International; and Tomera of Grain Millers. The group toured SB&B’s facility in Casselton, N.D., as well as Brushvale Seed in Breckenridge, Minn., and visited Scoular’s Minneapolis headquarters.

Besides SSGA and WISHH, the course had the support of MSR&PC, North Dakota Soybean Council and South Dakota Soybean Checkoff.

Special Delivery: Classic winners receive U.S. Identity Preserved picnic tables

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Stan Ryan said he was just looking for a place to sit down after a long day at Commodity Classic and found a comfortable seat in the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance booth.

The seat was at a custom-made U.S. Identity Preserved picnic table, which SSGA would be giving away at Classic, which took place in New Orleans in March. While sitting there and seeing SSGA’s “Fork to Farm” message, he signed up to win one of two tables, and, sure enough, his name was drawn at the close of the event.

Ryan grows soybeans and corn on his farm near Blue Mound, Illinois, but hadn’t really heard much about identity preserved field crops until he sat down at SSGA’s table.

Last week, Ryan got his table, as SSGA hand delivered it to him, driving it down from Mankato, Minnesota.

Shane Frederick, SSGA manager of strategic programs and SSGA chairman Rob Prather, who also resides in central Illinois, set up the benches and the table, which includes a laser-cut image of the U.S. Identity Preserved mark that was revealed last December.

Prather, chief strategic ambassador for Global Processing, and Ryan sat at the table and discussed Ryan’s farm practices, as well as the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brandmark and what SSGA is doing to help its members meet demand for IP crops.

A day earlier, SSGA delivered the other winning table to neighboring state Iowa and the farm of Tom and Mary Beth Adam near Harper, Iowa, where they raise soybeans, corn, wheat, oats, hay and beef cattle. Mary Beth’s name was drawn for the prize. She said she signed up while walking the trade show while Tom, a district director for the Iowa Soybean Association, attended meetings.

“Talk about fork to farm! Or, in this case, table to farm,” Frederick said. “It really was worthwhile to get out on the road, see people face to face and deliver these to the winners in person. We were able to see their farms, as well as tell SSGA’s story and share the U.S. Identity Preserved message. …

“We also had an opportunity to meet with our friends at the Illinois Soybean Association and discuss SSGA’s upcoming projects.”

SSGA will continue to share its “Fork to Farm” message this summer. On June 10, the first Fork to Farm Day will take place at the historic Oliver Kelley Farm near Elk River, Minnesota. Farmers who grow identity preserved and non-GMO crops are invited to attend the event (register here), where they can connect with each other, as well as with buyers from Southeast Asia who are participating in Northern Crops Institute’s Food Grade Soybean Procurement Course.

SSGA press release earns national merit honor

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance and Ag Management Solutions captured merit honors (second place) at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) 2022 Agri-Marketing Conference Best of NAMA awards ceremony on April 6 in Kansas City, Missouri.

SSGA received the award in the News Release – Ag Media category for its October 2020 press release that was one of the first sound the alarm on the container shipping and global supply chain crisis. The release, “Suspension of overseas ag container shipments is blow to U.S. ag community” helped SSGA increase its presence in national media, as well as ag and shipping trade media as the story gained attention and traction, resulting in interview requests and opportunities for SSGA board directors, members and the executive director.

SSGA’s position as an advocate on behalf of its exporter members through this release and has continued to be a reliable source of information on the issue of container shipping as supply chain issues worsened over the ensuing 18 months, as it and follow-up press releases resulted in a total of 250 million media impressions.

“Our team and the team at Ag Management Solutions have helped put SSGA on the map over the last two years,” SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg said. “They make sure that the voice of our alliance and our members is communicated to a national audience within the agricultural and ag shipping communities and beyond. It’s gratifying to see them recognized by their peers for their tremendous work.”

This was the first year Mankato, Minnesota-based Ag Management Solutions submitted SSGA entries to NAMA. The release also took merit honors during the Region 3 Best of NAMA awards, where it also took first place for its E-News in the category of Company and Association Newsletters – External.

Abbe steps down as SSGA adviser

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Bruce Abbe, the longtime leader of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s (SSGA) predecessor organization, has stepped down as SSGA’s strategic adviser for trade and transportation.

Bruce AbbeSSGA is grateful for Abbe’s service as it has grown into a national business organization.

Abbe has been in his advising role since SSGA was formed in 2019 as a merger between Midwest Shippers and the Northern Food Grade Soybean Association. Abbe was the president and CEO of Midwest Shippers for more than a decade prior to the merger.

“Bruce showed me the path ahead when I became director of SSGA three years ago,” said Eric Wenberg, SSGA executive director. “He has been a constant adviser and friend as we took on more and bigger tasks. What I understand about intermodal shipping comes from him.”

Abbe has more than 35 years of professional experience in public affairs, communications, trade promotion and organizational management for agricultural business organizations. In 2020, he received the William K. Smith Distinguished Service Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to private sector freight transportation from the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies. Later that year, SSGA awarded him with its first SSGA Alliance Honor for Advancing Transportation.

SSGA will continue to lean on Abbe’s expertise in training, presentations, events and projects as it looks to update the advisory position. SSGA has truly grown into an organization that tackles shipping and transportation issues at a national level. As SSGA conducts a search, Katelyn Engquist will be the staff lead for SSGA’s Competitive Shipping Action Team on behalf of chair Darwin Rader. The action team follows and listens to major concerns of SSGA members seeking container supply chain solute ions and solutions to other present-day problems, as well as educates customers about container shipping in order to build a brighter future for intermodal exports of high-quality grains and oilseeds.

Please wish Bruce well and express your thanks, as we do to him at bruce@abbecommunications.com. For more information on SSGA’s Competitive Shipping Action Team, reach out to Katelyn at kengquist@soyagrainsalliance.org or Darwin at darwinr@zfsinc.com.

U.S. exporters and Chinese importers talk IP

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Nearly 150 people met online on March 30 for an U.S. Identity Preserved webinar and IP B2B meetings between SSGA-member exporters and potential buyers from China.

The event was held in coordination between SSGA, the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA).

Following remarks from USSEC CEO Jim Sutter, CFNA President Cao Derong, U.S. Embassy Beijing Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Bobby Richey and SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg, watched and participated in three presentations about U.S. Identity Preserved field crops. SSGA Chair Rob Prather of Global Processing gave an overview of IP soybeans and grains. SSGA Secretary/Treasurer Colby Eymann discussed IP traceability and sourcing and Hua (Elsa) Xu of Hang Tung Resources talked about IP transportation.

“SSGA’s mission is to work with all our partners … to act as your expert in helping you learn how to purchase identity preserved field crops from the United States and how to profit by including them in the food products you manufacture,” Wenberg told the group. “What we are trying to do is explain in a structured way how the high-quality specialty field crop market means paying a bit more in advance can do for you.”

The webinar was followed by IP B2B matchmaking sessions between SSGA member suppliers and Chinese food manufacturers. Those who were not involved in the B2B meetings stayed on and participated in Q&A to learn more about U.S. Identity Preserved practices and efficiencies.

SSGA applauds Senate passage of Ocean Shipping Reform Act

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance applauds the United States Senate for passing its version of Ocean Shipping Reform Act.  

The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), was passed by unanimous consent on Thursday. It would provide the Federal Maritime Commission with new, additional enforcement authority, ensure a more competitive global ocean shipping industry and provide relief to U.S. exporters, including SSGA-member agricultural exporters, who have struggled with significant supply chain disruptions over the past two years.

“Our members and others have been waiting for the hope of relief,” SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg said. “We have been consistently messaging that we’ve needed it, and we thank Sen. Thune and Sen. Klobuchar for their leadership on this matter. We believe in the Federal Maritime Commission’s ability to act on behalf of U.S. companies, and this reform will give FMC the tools it needs.” 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of Ocean Shipping Reform Act in December. The bill now goes to conference committee to work out differences between the two bills.  

“This needs to pass the House and Senate conference with speed so a workable bill that provides relief gets sent to President Biden’s desk as soon as possible,” Wenberg said. 

The Senate bill provides FMC with additional enforcement tools to address unreasonable and unfair ocean carrier practices that have been harmful to U.S. exporters, including prohibiting carriers from unreasonably declining opportunities to U.S. exports. 

In a statement, Thune said, if passed, the act “would level the playing field for American farmers, exporters and consumers by making it harder for ocean carriers to unreasonably refuse goods that are ready to export at U.S. ports.” 

Added Klobuchar: “Congestion at ports and increased shipping costs pose unique challenges for U.S. exporters, who have seen the price of shipping containers increase four-fold in just two years, raising costs for consumers and hurting our businesses.” 

SSGA has supported passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act and was among the first groups to sound the alarm on the supply chain crisis in October 2020 and has continued to work on behalf of its members who export high-quality, Identity Preserved grains and oilseeds to help them meet the needs of their overseas customers. 

Lack of service, carrier cancelations, delays and rising freight rates and fees have “reached a condition critical situation,” said SSGA Chairman Rob Prather, chief strategic ambassador for Iowa-based Global Processing, affected business and have had a human toll, as well, causing hardships to logistics staffs, farmers, truckers, suppliers and customers both in the U.S. and abroad. 

“This isn’t just a global supply chain issue; it’s a global food supply security issue,” Prather said. 

SSGA to hold webinar, IP B2B for China

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On the heels of our virtual, business-to-business matchmaking meetings in Southeast Asia in 2021, the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance will host a U.S. Specialty Soya and Grains Webinar and IP B2B – China on March 30 (March 31 in China).

The informational webinar portion of the event will take place 8-9:30 p.m. CDT (9-10:30 a.m. China Standard Time) and is open to all. The webinar will showcase the U.S. Identity Preserved system and highlight the traceability, reliability and safety of IP soya and specialty grains from the United States.

IP B2B matchmaking sessions will start immediately after the informational webinar. IP B2B provides SSGA member companies that supply U.S. Identity Preserved field crops one-on-one meetings with foreign food manufacturers. IP B2B is limited to pre-registered importers and exporters.

The event will be held in coordination with U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA) and will include presentations and remarks from IP experts, representatives of SSGA and industry members.

An agenda can be found on the registration page.

Federal Maritime Commission chair, Surface Transportation Board member to appear at Transportation Go!

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Daniel Maffei, Robert Primus to discuss agricultural transportation issues

Transportation Go!, the premier conference for soybean and grain transportation and trade issues in the Upper Midwest, is pleased to announce that Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel B. Maffei and Surface Transportation Board member Robert E. Primus have agreed to appear at this year’s conference, March 3-4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Transportation Go! conference is focused on improving the competitive shipping environment for U.S. agriculture shippers and exporters everywhere with an emphasis on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel Maffei

Maffei has been invited to discuss FMC’s efforts to find solutions to the global container shipping crisis and to protect the ability of U.S. inland agriculture container export shippers to serve their food manufacturing customers overseas.

Primus has been asked to address initiatives aimed at increasing competition and options for railroad service of agriculture shippers, including connectivity improvements among Class I railroads, regional and short line railroads and intermodal service.

“The future of agriculture comes from the future of transportation,” said Eric Wenberg, executive director of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance, host of the Transportation Go! conference. “We can’t build the future of agriculture without these organizations and leaders helping us.”

Maffei was designated as FMC chairman by President Biden in 2021. He was first nominated to serve on the commission in 2016 by President Obama and again in 2019 by President Trump.

Primus was STB vice-chairman in February of 2021 – January 2022, shortly after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a board member in January 2021.

“Making a difference in agriculture means being vocal to build a solution,” said Bruce Abbe, SSGA strategic adviser for trade and transportation. “We are grateful that Chairman Maffei and STB member Primus are traveling to speak to our group and help build a reliable, efficient North American agricultural supply chain.”

Formerly known as the Northern Commodity Transportation Conference, Transportation Go! will bring in the industry’s top stakeholders, from boots-on-the-ground commodity growers and organizations to traders and shippers of specialty crops, along with representatives from key ports along the Great Lakes and more.

This highly engaging conference will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussions about the global supply chain and how it affects the vital movement of agricultural products both domestically and around the world. It will be an opportunity for attendees to weigh in on solution-seeking ideas and identifying priorities.

Besides presentations from Maffei and Primus, Transportation Go! will feature a robust agenda that includes discussion on these topics and more, including a market development and outlook panel featuring commodity organization leaders from the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Wheat Associates and the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

Transportation Go! will take place March 3-4 at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Register today at transportationgo.com. Early bird pricing is available through Feb. 8. Special hotel rates are also available through Feb. 11.

For specialty ag exporters, supply chain delays remain major crisis

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Situation has reached ‘condition critical,’ in some areas SSGA chairman says

The holiday rush may be behind us, but the supply chain crisis has not subsided, especially for many U.S. agricultural processors located in the Upper Midwest.

Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) members who export high-quality, Identity Preserved grains and oilseeds continue to have major difficulties getting the equipment they need to fulfill their orders and meet the needs of their overseas customers.

Many containers bringing consumer imports to the U.S. continue to be sent back overseas empty instead of inland where ag processors have supplies ready to be shipped.

“Specialty agriculture needs containers for food grade exports due to a food supply chain that has reached a condition critical situation,” said Rob Prather, SSGA chairman and chief strategic ambassador for Global Processing, an Iowa-based company that grows, processes and supplies Identity Preserved, non-GMO soybeans and soy ingredients. “This isn’t just a global supply chain issue; it’s a global food supply security issue.”

The United States produces the finest agricultural products in the world, including Identity Preserved soybeans and specialty grains used around the globe by food and beverage manufacturers. SSGA members’ customers abroad specifically want these products. They’ve ordered them, and they’re waiting for them.

Specialty crops shipped via container are a growing market because of consumer demand around the world. The United States must be a reliable supplier, and that means the supply chain must work for everybody. It is wrong for shipping lines, which have been enjoying record profits throughout this crisis, to deny service to ag exporters. Some SSGA members have reported they are able to ship just 40-60% of their orders because of these continuing supply chain issues.

“Dialogue must continue, and SSGA is calling on companies throughout the supply chain to participate and find ways to reposition containers where possible and unclog this system, which is so vital to the global food supply,” said Eric Wenberg, SSGA executive director. “As an American, I am surprised that one our country’s top exports is air -– in the form of empty containers. Let’s slow down the system enough so we can put something in those empty containers.”

SSGA was among the first groups to sound the alarm on the supply chain crisis, and that was 15 months ago. Continued lack of service, carrier cancelations, delays and rising freight rates and fees have made the situation as difficult as it’s ever been, according to some SSGA members.

This hasn’t just affected business either. There are real people working to make sure every link in the supply chain remains strong, and the human toll has caused hardships to logistics staffs, as well as farmers, truckers, suppliers and customers.

SSGA supported the Ocean Shipping Reform Act that overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives in December and is encouraging the Senate to move forward with the legislation, which would strengthen the Shipping Act and prohibit ocean carriers from unreasonably declining opportunities for U.S. exports.

More solutions are needed and fast. While time is of the essence, SSGA is hosting a shipping conference, Transportation Go, March 3-4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and encourages anyone interested in solving this crisis to join us bring your best ideas to the table. More information at transportationgo.com.

SSGA communications team awarded

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance received two awards, including a first-place finish at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Region 3 Best of NAMA 2021 awards, which were announced during an event on Jan. 18.

Working with Ag Management Solutions (AMS) in Mankato, Minnesota, SSGA was recognized for its twice-monthly e-newsletter, which received first place in the category of Company and Association Newsletters – External.

SSGA also received a merit award in the press release category for its Oct. 23, 2020 release which sounded the alarm on the supply chain crisis for ag shippers.

“Our team and the team at Ag Management Solutions have helped put SSGA on the map over the last two years, making sure that our alliance’s work and opportunities are communicated to a wide audience and that our members have a strong voice within the agricultural community,” said Eric Wenberg, SSGA executive director. “It’s gratifying to see them recognized by their peers for that effort.”

This was the first year AMS submitted SSGA entries to NAMA. Both of SSGA’s regional winners will move on to the Best of NAMA national competition. Those awards will be unveiled April 6-8 in Kansas City, Missouri.