SSGA elects two new board members; tabs Sinner as chair

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) welcomed two new members to its board of directors during the group’s annual meeting on Thursday, as Jake Noll of Minnesota-based Richland IFC and Chuck Kunisch of Michigan Agricultural Commodities were elected to two of three open seats.

For the other open seat, Darwin Rader of Michigan-based Zeeland Farm Services was reelected to the eight-member board during the meeting, held at the office of the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

Bob Sinner of North Dakota-based SB&B Foods was selected to chair the SSGA board for a second time.

“SSGA has really gotten its legs,” said Sinner, who previously served as SSGA chair in 2021. “I think everybody understands and realizes what SSGA means to the identity preserved world. We’ve had some great successes, and there are some great things on the horizon for the industry. I’m just proud to be able to assist the leadership in continuing to grow the organization.”

Rader was elected as SSGA vice-chair, while Colby Eymann of Scoular was reelected as the group’s secretary/treasurer.

“I am so honored that the membership has faith in me to continue to serve their needs,” said Rader, who has served as chair of SSGA’s competitive shipping action team. “And I’ll do my best to fill their expectations in that role.”

Although they had not previously served on the board, both Noll and Kunisch also have taken on action team leadership positions as SSGA members.

“I’m glad to have been elected,” said Noll, chair of SSGA’s food grade soya action team. “I hope to further what SSGA has been doing, and I look forward to working with our group of board members and everyone involved in the Alliance.

Kunisch is chair of SSGA’s specialty grains action team.

“I really appreciate everybody’s vote and confidence to do the job,” Kunisch said. “I hope I can help further advance the goals of SSGA.”

Noll and Kunisch replaced outgoing board directors Adam Buckentine and Andy Bensend, who did not seek reelection to their seats. Each was honored by SSGA with a retiring director’s award.

SSGA’s other board directors are Rob Prather of WeFARM Organics; Keith Schrader representing Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and Bryan Stobaugh of Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council.

Retiring director Adam Buckentine with chair Rob Prather.
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SSGA also awarded its Alliance Honors to the American Soybean Association’s WISHH program; Fawad Shah of Minnesota Crop Improvement Association; Duluth Cargo Connect and the late Robert (Bob) Karls, former executive director of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

A ‘Movement’ Begins: US Identity Preserved Holds International Unveiling

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SSGA, Industry leaders gather in Vietnam to attend global launch

The U.S. Identity Preserved brand is now officially a global entity.

On Nov. 1, the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) met in Vietnam with buyers and food producers to introduce its new international mark that designates premium crops with verifiable origins and builds worldwide awareness of the assurance plan that spotlights the superior products derived from the U.S. system.

“(SSGA) is here today to announce a significant certification advancement for food manufacturers to consider when purchasing ingredients for their products,” Executive Director Eric Wenberg said during a livestreamed event from the Saigon Sheraton Hotel & Towers. “We are excited to make this first official announcement in Vietnam because this is an important and growing market for high-quality foods that require high-quality ingredients.”

The U.S. Identity Preserved quality assurance plan and brand mark symbolizes a landmark advancement in the verification of trust, traceability and value for food manufacturers, processors and exporters. Since the brand was unveiled to an American audience in December 2021, a dozen U.S. companies have joined the program and are using the mark – with several more companies currently going through the application and qualification process.

“There’s real excitement about having a mark represent a very special segment of U.S. agriculture and business,” SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick said. “The mark has purpose and value and assurances that back them up.”

Tuesday’s event attracted 75 officials from across the industry, including the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), which brought a contingent to Vietnam from Myanmar. As well, the international launch was co-sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Wisconsin Marketing Board and Vinamilk, Vietnam’s largest dairy company. On Thursday, the SSGA team tours Vinamilk’s headquarters before flying back to the United States.

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“The U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark represents the strict protocols and careful attention to detail that are followed by processors and exporters of high-quality, identity preserved soybeans and grains from the United States,” said Nguygen Quoc Khanh, executive director of research and development with Vinamilk. “These are assurances of quality and food safety that Vinamilk seeks as we purchase the specific varieties of ingredients we require to efficiently manufacture our own high-quality, consistent products that our customers love.”

On Nov. 2, SSGA will offer more presentations on the U.S. Identity Preserved system and go further in depth on the quality, characteristics and performance customers can expect from specialty soybeans and grains from the United States. The program will be emceed by Hoa Huynh, SSGA’s Southeast Asia technical adviser. Panels will feature buyers, industry leaders, SSGA staff and Michigan farmer David Williams, who has grown Identity Preserved soybeans on his sixth-generation farm. Officials from the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service in Ho Chi Minh City are also expected to attend. A wrap up video of the event’s first day can be viewed here.

“Those of us who grow Identity Preserved field crops understand the importance of providing consistent, high-quality products to our customers,” said Williams, a United Soybean Board director. “It starts on the farm where we put extra work into our production to preserve a variety’s identity.”

The work advancing Identity Preserved has only just begun, as SSGA looks ahead to hosting its next global gathering: the Identity Preserved International Summit Jan. 11-13, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“The Identity Preserved brand is more than merely a mark,” Wenberg said. “It’s a movement to advance food traceability.”

Philippines trip sparks fruitful conversations

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The Philippines is a country that relies on agricultural imports for food and food ingredients and also has a strong affinity for American brands, making it an ideal place for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance to visit and talk about the high-quality, identity-preserved field-crop products supplied by its members.

Last week, SSGA Chair Rob Prather and Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick traveled to Manila to participate in a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored trade mission that included opportunities to engage with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefings from Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts and participate in site visits.

They were part of a U.S. delegation, led by FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley, that included representatives from 29 agribusinesses and farm organizations, as well as representatives from several state departments of agriculture. The trade mission’s goal was to promote two-way cooperation and build trade opportunities between the United States and the Philippines.

“The Philippines is an excellent market for U.S. farm and food products, and we look forward to introducing a diverse group of companies and organizations to new export opportunities there,” Whitley said prior to the trade mission. “U.S. brands sell very well in the Philippines, where consumers regard our products as safe, reliable and of good quality. The United States has enjoyed a long and prosperous trading relationship with the Philippines, and this mission is an ideal opportunity to further expand our exports there.”

During two days of business-to-business meetings, SSGA was able to connect with about 20 companies. Frederick directed buyers to the SSGA Trades Lead web page, as well as to SSGA University, where they could learn more about the U.S. identity preserved system and how identity preserved field crops can make their products better. Additionally, it was an opportunity to show the new U.S. Identity Preserved mark and assurance plan and talk about it with businesses, FAS officials and others involved with trade between the United States and the Philippines.

“This trip was a great opportunity to start new relationships and continue conversations we started with some of the virtual events and presentations we participated in over the last two years,” Prather said. “As successful as some of those online opportunities were, it was just as important for us to meet those businesses in person and see the potential for ourselves.”

Prather spent the previous week in Vietnam along with SSGA Technical Adviser for Southeast Asia Hoa Huynh. In the coming months, technical advisers Alyson Segawa (North Asia) and Philip Shull (South Asia) will travel to Japan and India and Nepal, respectively, along with SSGA board directors.

These are important and growing markets for SSGA’s processing and exporting members. In the Philippines, which is the eighth-largest market for U.S. agricultural products, averaging $3.1 billion, there is both a need for imported food and food ingredients to keep up with the pace of growth and stave off shortages, as well as a growing middle class that is buying higher-quality foods. The latter category is willing to spend more and has an affinity for products from the United States or products that contain U.S. ingredients.

Prather and Frederick took part in tours of a membership shopping center (think Costco or Sam’s Club) and a grocery store in Manila where U.S. foods were prominently featured. The Robinson’s Supermarket chain, for instance, was highlighting U.S. brands as part of a monthlong “American Festival.”

SSGA goes globetrotting

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The second half of 2022 will be one of outreach for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance. Travel is underway, as SSGA spreads the message of high quality to our customers abroad. This week already, SSGA Chair Rob Prather is on the road, traveling to Vietnam along with Hoa Huynh, technical adviser for Southeast Asia.

Following their visit with Vinasoy, a Vietnamese soymilk and soy drink producer, Huynh believes the prospect of Vinasoy importing U.S. Identity Preserved soybeans to be high. Vinasoy staff recently returned from the Food Grade Soybean Procurement Course at Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, N.D. Prather and Huynh also met with Dabaco, a feed and food production company and have more visits planned.

Next week, Prather will meet up with Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick in the Philippines for a USDA trade mission to Manila that features several state departments of ag, state and national commodity associations and agribusinesses for tours and business-to-business meetings.

In both countries, SSGA is talking about the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark and preparing for an international launch later this year in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

“After spending much of the last two years talking to customers virtually about identity preserved soybeans and specialty grains, we are thrilled to be able to start having those conversations in person,” Frederick said. “This USDA trade mission to Manila and other trips are perfect opportunities to highlight the new U.S. Identity Preserved mark and explain what it represents – the great care, commitment and close attention that IP farmers, processors and shippers undertake to fulfill the needs of their customers.”

In the coming months, SSGA technical advisers Alyson Segawa (North Asia) and Philip Shull (South Asia) will be traveling to Japan and India and Nepal, respectively, along with board directors, and our alliance is looking ahead to more opportunities in the future. In India and Nepal, SSGA representatives will participate in three seminars organized by the U.S. Soybean Export Council that will extol the quality and value of U.S. identity preserved soybeans. In addition to meeting with the trade, SSGA will meet with India’s Soy Food Processors Welfare Association (SFPWA) and Foreign Agricultural Service-New Delhi to discuss SFPWA’s efforts to secure a tariff rate quota for food grade soybeans from the Indian government.

Look for reports on each of these trips in future SSGA newsletters.

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.