SSGA and USSEC highlight value of identity preserved soy

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) collaborated on a half-day workshop at the U.S. Soybean Export Council’s Asia Soy Excellence & Food Summit March 20 in Manila. Through keynote speakers and panel discussions, the workshop showcased identity preserved field crops and the power of the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance protocol. 

Executive Director Randy Duckworth introduced the workshop while Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick briefed on the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance protocol and brand mark, paving the way for Japnit Singh of Yamada Consulting & Spire, who presented case studies on the economic advantages of using IP soybeans in soymilk and tofu production. Rob Prather explored forward contracting and risk management. 

The workshop featured two panels comprised of SSGA members. The first, with Todd Sinner of SB&B Foods; Austin DeLong, The DeLong Co.; and Guillermo Mancebo of Puris delved into the complexities of shipping IP field crops, seed varieties and maintaining facility quality. A second panel with Rick Brandenburger of Richland IFC; Tom Taliaferro of Montague Farms and Aaron Mohs of Brushvale Seed discussed farming production practices. 

‘Ride the wave:’ Summit reinforces the power of relationships

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If you hear the phrase “ride the wave,” on a typical day in Honolulu, Hawaii, you may think of the ocean and a surfboard. But that was far from the intent Matt Tripodi had when he spoke those words at the Identity Preserved International Summit, hosted by the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) Feb. 18-20.

Tripodi, a Senior Global Territory Director at Euromonitor International, presented to nearly 100 Summit attendees about opportunities for U.S. agriculture, specifically U.S. Identity Preserved agricultural products, in a shifting trade environment.

Tripodi encouraged attendees, including U.S. growers, suppliers and exporters of premium crops, as well as buyers, importers and food manufacturers from 13 Asian countries, to continue to use identity preserved to differentiate and elevate their businesses.

“U.S. Identity Preserved is the ultimate driving machine in the ag space,” Tripodi said. “This is your brand to build, promote and sell around the world.”

Identity Preserved around the globe

Nearly 40 buyers, importers and food manufacturers from China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Nepal, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines traveled to the Crossroads of the Pacific for the event. While many international guests are in the beginning stages of considering identity preserved grains and oilseeds, several are already purchasing these premium crops for their business. Three of those manufacturers spoke of their experiences utilizing U.S. Identity Preserved field crops in their food manufacturing.

“Quality is the first thing I’ll say; the second would be the marketing point,” said Jin Yoon of Jinhwa Food in Korea, about why U.S. Identity Preserved makes a difference for that business. “I have something to tell the customer that this is IP, but we still have a chance to show them this product is more safe and healthier than others.”

Jinhwa Food, an importer and manufacturer of buckwheat food products, is one of the first international companies to use the U.S. Identity Preserved brandmark on its products. Another international company approved to use the brandmark on products, Shree Radne Rani International Trading from Nepal, was also on the buyers panel, along with Ling Yi Ti Tofu from Cambodia.

Gaurav Agrawal, managing director at Shree Radne Rani International Trading, attended the first Summit in 2023 and credits the education and connections he made there as a major reason for his decision to introduce U.S. Identity Preserved-certified soy to food manufacturing businesses in Kathmandu. In 2024, the first commercial sale of identity preserved soybeans from the U.S. to South Asia arrived via container at the dry port of Birgunj, Nepal.

“Some products give you experiences, some give you relationships and many give you money. I’m very glad and honored, to be associated with institutions like SSGA; and it’s a privilege for us to import IP soybeans into Nepal,” Agrawal said. “I’ve got everything – money, name, experiences – everything IP soybeans has given us. SSGA and USSEC are like a second business family to me.”

Aside from presentations, attendees created connections and learned more about the global identity preserved industry through networking, exhibitor tables and tours.

Another user of identity preserved soybeans from the U.S., Aloha Tofu Factory, hosted tours for nearly 40 Summit attendees and included sampling of soy foods. The 75-year-old business is the largest tofu manufacturer in Hawaii, creating a variety of tofu, yodofu, natto, okara, soy sauce and more for purchase at their factory and several retail stores across Hawaii.

Working with customers

The importance of relationships and the threat of tariffs in global trade were common themes across several Summit presentations.

Jake Noll, general manager of Richland IFC in Breckenridge, Minn., was one who addressed the impending tariffs.

“It’s the elephant in the room, but we can prep for that,” said Noll, an SSGA board member. “Supply can stay consistent; we know that.”

The panel, which also included Todd Sinner of SB&B Foods and JR Kassian of Genesis Seed Solutions, emphasized the need for contracting early and the importance of connections between trade and business partners, no matter the geopolitical situation.

“We continue to listen to our customers, what they need and what they want, so we are breeding our own genetics as well, and hoping to deliver those new genetics,” Sinner said.  “But it must be a win for our growers too. It’s important that our growers have a sustainable, high-yielding, high-performing variety that works for their land and their soil types. Those types of things are always going to continue to develop and expand.”

Quality starts on the farm

Like the first Identity Preserved International Summit, the panel of U.S. growers was another fruitful opportunity for questions and answers. The panel included growers Pat Sullivan from Minnesota, Mike Koehne from Indiana and Steve Peach from Michigan.

Each grower briefly presented about his farm, highlighting the people and practices that help sustain an identity preserved crop. And although farms are all different shapes and sizes, they all agreed that farmers demonstrate integrity and passion for growing a high-quality product.

“For me I love knowing where it ends up. I love knowing that my soybeans go into food,” Koehne said. “I feel I always want to make a difference in the world, and I feel like doing this, I’m making a difference.”

 

Lance Rezac, U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) chair and farmer from Kansas, also spoke about efforts to producing quality, sustainable U.S. Soy. USSEC, as well as Food Export Midwest/Northeast were key strategic partners for the Summit. USSEC also sponsored the event, along with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, North Dakota Soybean Council, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, TruSoya, SB&B Foods, Scoular, South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Stonebridge Ltd., Harada, Richland IFC, Brushvale Seed, Asiatek, Bratney, Northern Crops Institute, Iowa Soybean Association, Aloha Tofu, Profinium, PenceAg, World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, North Star Packaging, Friederichs Seed, Inc. and Genesis Seed Solutions.

Other keynote presenters included PURIS CEO Nicole Atchison and Paul Maass, CEO of Scoular, presenting perspectives on sustainability, quality, breeding and technology in ag and food. Other speakers and sessions highlighted opportunities for ancient grains, targeted plant breeding, electronic documentation in trade, ingredient processing, transportation, the Food Export Branded Program, the U.S. Identity Preserved program and more. Attendees ended the three-day conference with a tour of Kualoa Ranch, learning about their agricultural practices while enjoying the island scenery.

Plans are underway for the 2026 Summit, with the location and date to be announced.

Identity Preserved field crops taking spotlight at IP Summit  

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Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance to host one-stop shop event in Honolulu 

Identity Preserved (IP) field crops are ready to take center stage in front of an audience that’s eager to unravel the intricate details of the industry through discussions, networking and presentations at the Identity Preserved International Summit Feb. 18-20 at Hilton Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. 

“The Identity Preserved International Summit is where the global IP community converges to tackle pressing challenges and unlock new opportunities,” said Randy Duckworth, Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) executive director. “Attendees will gain firsthand insights into supply chain advancements, traceability technologies like electronic documentation, and emerging market trends – all while building trusted partnerships that drive business growth.” 

The Summit is hosted by SSGA, the business alliance of identity preserved agriculture in the United States and brings together food manufacturers; qualified grain and oilseed buyers and sellers; and transportation, equipment and seed input companies from across the world.  

“With buyers from Nepal to Japan already leveraging U.S. IP soybeans and specialty grains such as buckwheat and barley for premium products, this event is your gateway to a network prioritizing quality, transparency and sustainability,” Duckworth said.  

The Summit is set to provide multifaceted insight on IP crop supply, global trade, transportation, crop conditions, and availability through its trade show, keynote speakers, panel discussions and optional agricultural tours to Aloha Tofu Factory and Kualoa Ranch.  

“We’re excited about the agenda for our second Identity Preserved International Summit,” said Shane Frederick, SSGA manager of strategic programs. “The speakers, presenters and panelists are sure to keep all attendees engaged throughout the conference, whether they’re foreign food manufacturers and buyers, identity preserved suppliers from the United States, IP farmers and others. This conference tells the entire ‘fork to farm’ story of the U.S. Identity Preserved system.” 

Find the full Identity Preserved International Summit agenda here.  

Registration discounts are available to members of the media interested in attending.  

Step into the driver’s seat and fuel your mind at Transportation Go!

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As the premier conference for soybean and grain transportation and trade issues in the Midwest, Transportation Go! is putting the industry’s top stakeholders in the driver’s seat with a complete set of distinguished speakers, panel discussions and more, offering a full tank of knowledge to everyone that enters the doors. 

“Transportation Go! is uniquely oriented to the transportation opportunities and issues of the value-added specialty grains and oilseeds industry,” said Gary Williams, Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) director of transportation and regulatory affairs. “While other transportation conferences provide a value in emphasizing imports by container, a wide-angle lens on ag products, or bulk commodity perspectives, this conference carves out what is relevant for these shippers and buyers.” 

Hosted by SSGA, the event brings together boots-on-the-ground commodity growers, organizations, traders and shippers of specialty crops, offering in-depth discussions on the global supply chain and how it affects the vital movement of agricultural products domestically and around the world March 12-13 in Minneapolis. 

“We are able to attract decision makers and influencers such as the Federal Maritime Commission, Surface Transportation Board, U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway Administration, Department of Transportation, legislators, state departments of agriculture, commodity associations, and other agencies to hear and learn more about our transportation issues, needs, and barriers face-to-face,” Williams said.  

The conference is also known for pulling the entire transportation supply chain into the conversation, including CEOs of the Port of Los Angeles and Northwest Seaport Alliance, rail roads and container carrier lines. 

“Our conference presents today’s cross-section in transportation in identity preserved products, while always asking the question of what we can expect or change for what lies ahead,” Williams said.  

To help navigate what’s on the horizon, Transportation Go! has a full lineup of distinguished speakers, including Daniel Maffei from the Federal Maritime Commission, John Wolfe of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Gene Seroka with the Port of Los Angeles, Sten Könst with Spliethoff, Dr. Sal Mercogliano with Campbell University, Hardy Pearson with Hapag-Lloyd and Joe Jobe with SABR.  

“The ability to interact with extremely high approachability, and have your questions responded to is a major selling point of this conference in March each year,” Williams said. “We rotate the conference purposefully to highlight where issues and opportunities are, and to foster new ideas, and participation by different minds in the country, while ensuring we deliver on providing very rich content from the top subject matter experts we can find.” 

Registration is open at www.transportationgo.com/register-now/. Early bird registration is available through Jan. 31, 2025. Sponsorship information is available at transportationgo.com/sponsors/  

SSGA’s annual meeting will be held in the same location on March 11. The annual meeting will reflect on the successes from the past year and look ahead to the future. Board of Directors elections will be held, and the annual SSGA Alliance Honors will be presented at the meeting. The annual meeting is free for members, but pre-registration is requested. Non-members can register for $55. 

SSGA sponsors award at Natto Competition

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Each year, members of the National Natto Cooperative Union in Japan bring their best natto products for judging at the Natto Competition. In late November, judges considered 187 items produced by 70 manufacturers. Experts in various fields, including researchers, cultural figures, food industry professionals and government officials, chose the winning natto products based on appearance, aroma, taste and texture.  

The entry “Minori Natto Honoka” created by Midoriya Co., Ltd, was awarded the Grand Prize. An award for the best natto made with U.S. soybeans was awarded on behalf of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA). SSGA international representative Keiichi (Ken) Tanaka attended the competition and awards. 

“There were many products of very high quality this year, and the competition was very close at the top,” said Hiromasa Hasegawa, advisor to the National Federation of Natto Cooperative Associations, who chaired the judging committee. “Although there were some products with room for improvement, we will provide feedback on the judging results to the companies, and we look forward to their future quality improvement and active participation in next year’s competition and beyond.” 

A special guest, Natto-no-Elf “Nebaarukun,” the fairy of natto, visited the judging venue and provided a live broadcast of the judging process.  

 

Speaker confirmations stack up for Identity Preserved International Summit in Hawaii

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When you plan to bring together the world’s leaders in identity preserved agriculture, you need to secure the best and brightest guest speakers and panel guests to set the stage.  

The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) has found the cream of the crop with the announcement of its first set of featured speakers and panelists for the second Identity Preserved International Summit Feb. 18-20, 2025, in Honolulu 

“The global demand for Identity Preserved crops continues to expand. With that comes potential customers hungry for information. This summit is intended to help inform customers and potential customers around the world,” said Bob Sinner, SSGA board chair. “I am confident this lineup of speakers will reflect their interests.”

Included in the most recent lineup of confirmed speakers are Paul Maass, Nicole Atchison, Japnit Singh, Molly Burns, Mr. Takashi Sadakane and Mr. Huy Pham. Learn more about the presenters below. 

Paul Maass – CEO, Scoular 

As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Scoular, Paul Maass has been responsible for providing the company with worldwide strategic leadership since joining them in 2016. Scoular is a 130-year-old company with over $10 billion in annual sales that provides diverse supply chain solutions in the grain, feed and food ingredient and biofuels industries from over 100 offices and facilities worldwide.  

Prior to joining Scoular, Maass served as president of ConAgra Foods’ Commercial Foods and Private Brands segment, where he led the creation of Ardent Mills, their milling focused partnership with Cargill and CHS and served as board chairman. Maass is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business.  

Nicole Atchison – CEO, Puris 

Nicole Atchison has been CEO of Puris since 2017, helping lead innovation across their company’s portfolio of companies including ingredient technologies, processing technologies, seed genetic strategy and channel strategy. PURIS cultivates a spectrum of plant-based foods and ingredients from U.S.-based organic and non-GMO sources. A native of Minnesota, Nicole holds a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University.  

Japnit Singh – Yamada Consulting & Spire 

Japnit is the Chief Operating Officer at Yamada Consulting and Spire. He specializes in supporting organizations with marketing entry and growth consulting in Asia. With over 15 years of regional experience, he has worked with Fortune 500 companies as well as government agencies from the U.S., Singapore, Spain, Oman and Japan. Singh’s expertise lies in market analytics, business partner matching and go-to-market strategies for multinational organizations as well as small-and-medium-sized businesses. In his career, Japnit has successfully completed over 1,000 market research projects globally.   

Japnit holds a degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, and is a part of the MBM 2004 Batch of AIM. 

Molly Burns – Food Export Midwest/Food Export Northeast 

Based in Chicago, Molly Burns is the Branded Program director for Food Export Midwest & Food Export Northeast. Founded in 1969, Food Export Association is a nonprofit organization that collaborates with regional state agricultural promotion agencies and the United States’ Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). Burns works with hundreds of suppliers annually to create strong marketing plans and grow internationally. Burns’ and Food Export’s Branded Program reimburses food and agricultural companies for half of their international marketing expenses. She majored in International Studies at Loyola University-Chicago.  

Mr. Takashi Sadakane & Mr. Huy Pham 

The Identity Preserved International Summit is also excited to welcome Japan’s Agricultural Counselor, Mr. Takashi Sadakane, and Mr. Huy Pham, the Vietnamese agricultural counselor to speak on the significant potential of Japanese and Vietnamese markets for U.S. IP soybeans and other special grains.  

Other previously announced guest speakers include Dr. Phanwin Yokying, applied researcher at the East-West Center, and Ken A. Eriksen, founder of Polaris Analytics & Consulting. The Summit will include presentations and panel sessions from industry leaders exploring topics in identity preserved agriculture, such as electronic documentation, quality assurance, supply, crop conditions and more. The event will also include a trade show, networking opportunities and tours.  

The agenda for the Summit is being updated regularly.  

“Our first Summit was extremely successful, and many customers are already committing to this event again coming up in February 2025,” said Sinner.  

Interested in attending the Identity Preserved International Summit in 2025? Register now at usipsummit.com! International attendees may be eligible for complimentary registration. 

Businesses interested in sponsoring and/or exhibiting at this one-of-a-kind conference can view options at this link. 

 

 

 

U.S. Identity Preserved shines in Nepal

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A delegation representing SSGA and U.S. Identity Preserved helped make history in Nepal in September.

Not only did they award a certificate to Shree Radne Rani International Trading, one of the first international companies to use the U.S. Identity Preserved brand mark on their retail packaging and marketing materials, SSGA also made inroads with other soy food manufacturers during retail market visits and at the U.S. Identity Preserved International Workshop.

The SSGA delegation, which included Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick, IP Technical Consultant Rob Prather, Minnesota farmer Tom Frisch and SSGA’s South Asia Technical Advisor Philip Shull, visited several soy food manufacturers and retail markets where they saw U.S. identity preserved soybeans used in various soy snacks such as fried and roasted snack mixes, soy nuts, tofu, soy flour and more.

The tours were led by Gaurav Agrawal, director of Shree Radne Rani International Trading, the first South Asia importer of identity preserved soybeans from the U.S., which arrived in March 2024.

Companies, including over four decade-old stores and shops, have given high praise to using identity preserved beans, reporting more consistent bean size, better taste and feel and high protein. Economic efficiencies have been another noted benefit, including a ready-to-make quality that eliminates extra cleaning and sorting.

“In just a few months since the first container of U.S. IP soybeans arrived in Nepal, consumers are already reporting differences in taste and quality, while manufacturers are seeing results in production efficiencies,” Frederick said. “They could hardly wait to show off the origin of their new ingredients.”

SSGA ended its time in Nepal by hosting an U.S. Identity Preserved International Workshop, with U.S. Soybean Export Council as a partner, along with support from the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC), Missouri Soybeans, North Dakota Soybean Council and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. The workshop featured more than 70 attendees, including Nepali soy food manufacturers, traders and related organizations. Media in attendance included The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, Kantipur, and Himalayan TV.

Presentations during the workshop outlined the growing process and value of identity preserved crops and its potential in Nepal’s food and beverage sector. Soy food consultant Nishith Kumar led manufacturing demonstrations and sampling of soy foods made with the very first shipment of U.S. identity preserved soybeans that were delivered to Nepal in March. Dr. Suresh Itapu discussed valued added products from whole identity preserved soybeans and Sumit Agarwal of the Soy Food Processors Welfare Association highlighted the value of partnerships among soy food processors.

“I enjoyed being here listening to all the speakers talk about how much IP soybeans mean to them, from food safety and security to nutrition, growing U.S. IP soybeans is a little bit more time consuming and labor intensive but it’s worth it to supply the world with a high-quality, high-protein product,” said Frisch, who serves as MSR&PC chair and spoke about growing identity preserved crops at the workshop. “It’s great to see firsthand the important work SSGA does throughout the world on behalf of Minnesota soybean farmers.”

Strategizing the St. Lawrence Seaway’s potential: SSGA hosts transportation mission to Netherlands, Belgium

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By amplifying the global visibility of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) accomplished a key goal during a first-of-its-kind ag transportation mission to Europe’s largest seaports in Belgium and the Netherlands Sept. 2-6. But a checked box is just a first step in what SSGA has learned in a long, but attainable to-do list ahead.

“What has happened here, is that we’re on the cusp of change,” said Eric Wenberg, executive director of SSGA. “The right people are meeting and talking to each other. This trip is not a trade promotion trip. This is a transportation preference trip. We need to make it clear that the U.S. does have transportation access to these ports and onward to the rest of the world if we need it, but we’re asking the stakeholders to choose a preference from the U.S. and reconsider the Great Lakes.”

Exploring the interconnectivity of commerce

SSGA brought in stakeholders from all over the Midwest, including Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota soy checkoff leaders, the Department of Transportation, USDA and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, to participate in several networking opportunities and tours to discuss the potential benefits of the St. Lawrence Seaway being chosen as the gateway of choice.

“We need supply chain resiliency and redundancy in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system,” said Peter Hirthe, international trade specialist with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

Attendees witnessed how industry leaders stay one step ahead at Hutchison Port ECT, recognized as one of Europe’s leading container terminal operators. The terminal utilizes semi-automatic cranes and automated guided vehicles to move containers, enhancing operational efficiency and safety. That followed with a trip to the World Port Center, Samga grain terminal in Belgium and more, giving SSGA and other leaders from the U.S. the opportunity to learn about the interconnectivity of commerce between Europe and the rest of the world.

“From a business development standpoint, success in business development has relied on finding a need. A lot of times the customer doesn’t know what it is they need and what it is that would make it better. Redundancy and resilience-that’s what a lot of our job is going to be, finding the defined needs and coming up with a creative solution,” Gary Williams, SSGA’s director of transportation and regulatory affairs, said.

Joining forces

Through conversations with colleagues and maritime industry leaders from Europe, feelings of optimism grew during the four-day visit.

“The planning of this and the way this was done was extremely unique, but it worked,” said SSGA Chair Bob Sinner. “It’s hard to know who we should have in the room for these types of discussions. To have a room full of logistics providers made sense because they have a lot of companies that export to the U.S. As a shipper, I’m extremely grateful for the understanding of our history and complexities and how difficult freight can be for companies like us.”

U.S. attendees also made it a priority to highlight the importance of the St. Lawrence Seaway at each of the week’s several networking meetings.

“We shared information about the St. Lawrence Seaway, like the fact that it had 99.4% on-time deliveries, that it is very environmentally sustainable and is a direct path to Rotterdam,” said Gail Donkers, who represents MSR&PC on SSGA’s board of directors. “Our trade mission delegation had time to meet with the transportation specialists to discuss our objectives and look at how each company could benefit from shipping goods along the St. Lawrence Seaway as a back haul.”

Finding a route for success

The visit wrapped up with an opportunity for U.S. attendees to gather to brainstorm, reflect and develop a vision for what the next steps entail.

“What we’ve learned on the trip is that there are billions of dollars being invested in infrastructure,” Wenberg said. “Being here to talk to the U.S. administration, and embassy in these ports along with the St. Lawrence Seaway administration means we can continue to target and support the infrastructure developments we need to support the Lakes system.”

For SSGA, this unique mission is only just beginning in further optimizing the St. Lawrence Seaway and will require collaboration from the region to find success.

“It really is a connection to Europe,” Wenberg said. “Sixty percent of the economy of the EU is within 500 miles of these ports in the U.S. If Europe wants to connect with our consumers in Toronto, Canada and Chicago and our eight Great Lakes seaway states, we have to build this trade force together.”

SSGA showcases U.S. Identity Preserved at Soy Connext

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At the heart of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s (SSGA) mission to “build, grow and sustain a reliable supply chain that ensures integrity of the end product” is connection. 

Soy Connext 2024, hosted by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), was an ideal setting for SSGA to connect with more than 700 soy industry leaders and buyers representing over 60 countries. 

“It was fantastic,” SSGA Board Member Chuck Kunisch said.  

Held Aug. 19-21 in San Francisco, SSGA and the U.S. Identity Preserved program were sponsors of Soy Connext, where they engaged in several constructive conversations about identity preserved agriculture in the United States. 

“It was an opportunity for outreach and to see a lot of people to talk about the things that SSGA is doing,” said Shane Frederick, SSGA manager of strategic programs. “It’s good that we’re out there as part of the entire value chain.” 

The U.S. Identity Preserved program, which is overseen by SSGA, ensures customers receive the exact qualities and characteristics that they order utilizing documented, traceable practices. With over 400 attendees being international soy customers, there were ample opportunities to highlight the program. 

“Our booth had a lot of traffic, so we got the chance to talk a lot about the U.S. Identity Preserved program,” Frederick said. “There was a fairly large group that was interested in buying food-grade and non-GMO soybeans.” 

Soy Connext was more than just networking and making connections. The conference was chock full of educational sessions. 

“I thought the education sessions were fantastic,” Kunisch said. “I can’t wait until they post the videos so I can watch them again and really digest what the speakers had to say.” 

During the educational sessions, SSGA participated in the Soy Foods Sourcing Session, with Frederick speaking about “What Goes into the Soybean Premium” and Rob Prather presenting on “Non-GMO Sourcing, Timelines and Advice.” 

“Our hope was to help attendees understand forward contracting and variety selection for identity preserved,” Frederick said. 

With Soy Connext in the rearview mirror, SSGA is now looking to future projects and endeavors. 

“We’re really working on collaborating between USSEC and SSGA,” Kunisch said. “Even though we both promote U.S. Soy, we do it in different ways and it can benefit both of us by working together.” 

SSGA returns from Manila mission

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The Philippines boast the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia, which means opportunities for growth and innovation in specialty food products – such as those made with ingredients from identity preserved field crops.

SSGA led a delegation representing the identity preserved value chain to Manila last week for a series of meetings with food manufacturers, traders and business associations as part of a regional workshop promoting high-quality, traceable grains and oilseeds from the United States, along with the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand label program.

The group included SSGA board directors Chuck Kunisch (Michigan Agricultural Commodities (MAC)) and Bryan Severs (Illinois Soybean Association), IP expert consultant Rob Prather and SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick, along with Southeast Asia representatives from the organization’s global management team.

SSGA met with a variety of business at different stages of purchasing identity preserved products, including companies with long relationships with U.S. suppliers, companies considering adding new products with specialty and IP ingredients to their portfolios and others that are new to IP products. SSGA is working on trade leads ranging from identity preserved/food-grade soybeans to specialty grains following conversations in those meetings.

“We had some great conversations,” Frederick said. “We provided plenty of information but learned a lot ourselves. There are some great opportunities for SSGA member companies and the U.S. Identity Preserved brand in the Philippines.”

Frederick introduced SSGA, “the U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance,” and spoke about the IP brand and label program, while Prather discussed contracting and grading. Severs, who grows a variety of non-GMO soybeans near Potomac, Illinois, emphasized the extra work segregation practices that take place in specialty field crop farming. Kunisch highlighted variety specificity and the process of cleaning, sorting and shipping of IP crops at SSGA-member facilities such as MAC.

“SSGA’s ‘fork to farm’ message is one that resonates with buyers and potential buyers,” Frederick said. “Understanding that IP means choosing the varieties you want and need and getting what you order so you can make a high-quality food product for your own customers.”

Additionally, the group met with Philfoodex, the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, and received an invitation for SSGA to speak virtually at that organization’s annual meeting next month. The delegation also had a debriefing at the U.S. Embassy with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service staff posted in Manila.

SSGA also held a U.S. Identity Preserved Workshop in Tokyo during the FoodEx Japan trade show in March and is planning another for Kathmandu, Nepal, in September, hitting each of its primary target regions – North Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia before holding the second Identity Preserved International Summit Feb. 18-20, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

SSGA’s 2024 Identity Preserved Workshops have been sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, North Dakota Soybean Council and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board as part of their support of the Identity Preserved International Summit.

The U.S. Identity Preserved program receives support from the Illinois Soybean Association, Michigan Soybean Committee, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, South Dakota Soybean Checkoff and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, along with funding from a USDA Agricultural Trade Promotion grant and added support from the U.S. Soybean Export Council.