Save the date for SSGA’s 2025 events

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SSGA has announced dates for three events in 2025. The Identity Preserved International Summit will return Feb. 18-20 in Honolulu, Hawaii. SSGA’s annual meeting will be held March 11, followed by Transportation Go! March 12-13 in Minneapolis.

In January 2023, more than 150 people, including 50 foreign buyers, participated in the inaugural Summit, traveling from the U.S., South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia for discussions and networking, along with presentations on supply, transportation, crop conditions and availability and more.

SSGA invites food manufacturers; grain and oilseed buyers and sellers; and transportation, equipment, seed and input companies from around the world to experience the U.S. Identity Preserved field crop industry through educational seminars, networking opportunities, agricultural tours and more.

“These are the best companies in the world who do this – on both sides of the ocean,” SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg said. “The Identity Preserved International Summit will again give them a chance to have real dialogue about one of the fast-growing sectors of agriculture.”

More information, as well as registration, will be released soon about the Summit.

SSGA will again hold its annual meeting and Transportation Go! back-to-back, March 11-13, 2025, in Minneapolis.

SSGA’s 2024 annual meeting included a 5-year anniversary celebration, as well as Board of Director elections and breakout sessions about agronomy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s High Quality Specialty Grains program that SSGA administratively supports. Transportation Go! 2024 united about 120 growers, port authority representatives, shippers, suppliers and others for solution-seeking discussions around transportation of agricultural products.

SSGA celebrates 5 years, holds board elections

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Since its inception 5 years ago, the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) has led the way.

In 2019, the Midwest Shippers Association and Northern Food Grade Soybean Association (NFGSA) merged to form SSGA. Originally coined as the premier business alliance of U.S. companies focused on production, processing and shipping of specialty soya and grains worldwide, SSGA celebrated its accomplishments at its five-year anniversary celebration and annual meeting on March 12.

The meeting kicked off with agronomy presentations from Dr. Bryan Young, Purdue University; Dr. Andrew Scaboo, University of Missouri and Dr. Emily Bick from University of Wisconsin-Madison, who discussed innovations in pest management. Ohio farmer Chad Warner discussed his farm and the challenges and benefits of growing identity preserved in the producer interview.

Bob Sinner, SSGA chair, was joined by past chairs Curt Petrich and Rob Prather for a panel discussing the history of SSGA.

Led by Executive Director Eric Wenberg, the panel recounted the early days of the organization, when staff and board members tested out elevator pitches for what SSGA meant. Or when the newly hired Wenberg pointed out all of the reasons a program to assist with phytosanitary inspections would not work.

2024 SSGA Officers: Bryan Severs, secretary/treasurer; Bob Sinner, chair; Bryan Stobaugh, vice chair

That “impossible” phytosanitary program, now named the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) High Quality Specialty Grains (HQSG) program, launched in April 2023, generating nearly 1,700 phytosanitary certificates for U.S. companies exporting high-quality soybeans in containers. Eighteen companies are accepted to use the program, with several more in the certification process. SSGA administratively supports the HQSG program.

“This is the one organization that I have seen a direct ROI on an activity from,” Petrich said. “It’s created a much more efficient [processing] plant and has decreased costs by almost 70%.”

The trio of chairs also recounted other accomplishments of SSGA, such as the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance protocol and brandmark, SSGA University and SSGA advocacy around container shipping issues.

“SSGA has led the way,” Petrich added. “Without this organization a number of things couldn’t get done in this sector.”

SSGA also awarded its annual Alliance Honors. The Alliance Honors recognizes those who have made significant and sustaining contributions to the U.S. IP industry in 2023. These awards recognize stewardship, as well as advancements in transportation, IP and SSGA as an organization.

The Alliance Honor for Stewardship was awarded to the Illinois Soybean Association for their financial, physical and human resources to SSGA programs and meetings. The Indiana Crop Improvement Association was awarded the Alliance Honor for Advancing IP for its work to implement the U.S. Identity Preserved protocol, qualifying companies in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and others. Dr. Karl Kolb, president and chief technical officer of the High Sierra Group/Ceres University was awarded the Advancing SSGA honor for his volunteer work with SSGA to help a small U.S. tofu manufacturer overcome a difficult audit and inspection of its processing facility. The Alliance Honor for Advancing Transportation was awarded to Pamela Ryan of Stonebridge, Ltd., for leading the Competitive Shipping action team during a renewed shipping crisis.

Elections were held to fill two open seats on the SSGA board. Gail Donkers of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council was reelected to the board and Bryan Severs of the Illinois Soybean Association joined the board.

Severs was later elected by his peers to serve as the SSGA secretary/treasurer. Bryan Stobaugh of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council was tabbed as vice chair and Bob Sinner of SB&B Foods was re-elected to serve as the chair.

“Being able to work with the quality of people we have in the membership and on the board has been an honor,” said Sinner. “I am honored and humbled to serve as the SSGA chair for another year and look forward to what we can accomplish in 2024.”

SSGA promoting quality with U.S. Identity Preserved in Japan

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Alliance to present workshop for food manufactures, buyers during FOODEX trade show

The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) is taking its Identity Preserved International Summit Workshop to Tokyo, Japan, on March 7 during FOODEX Japan 2024. FOODEX Japan is the largest annual food and beverage trade show in Asia, making it an ideal venue to host the Identity Preserved workshop.

“SSGA launched the U.S. Identity Preserved program a little over two years ago, and 15 certified companies now use the ‘Identity Preserved United States’ brand mark to signify the great quality and traceability of U.S. specialty soybeans and grains to international food companies and buyers,” said Shane Frederick, SSGA’s manager of strategic programs. “We are going to Tokyo to tell the U.S. Identity Preserved story and emphasize that when it comes to these premium U.S. field crops, quality doesn’t cost, it pays!”

Taking place at Tokyo Big Sight in Room 3, Hall 4, Second Foor, the Identity Preserved International Summit Workshop will feature educational presentations describing U.S. Identity Preserved protocol and labeling and includes translation and ample networking opportunities. With traceability at the heart of it all, the identity preserved process segregates crops and products throughout production, processing and distribution so customers receive the exact qualities and characteristics that they order.

“We’re building and growing a strong relationship between farmers and suppliers of U.S. specialty field crops and customers and consumers overseas,” said Bryan Stobaugh, SSGA board director and director of licensing and commercialization for Missouri Soybeans. “As the identity preserved association of the United States, SSGA has a ‘fork to farm’ focus that covers the entire IP value chain.”

Workshop presentations include:

  • Information about suppliers of identity preserved, variety-specific field crops, including U.S. companies and products certified with the Identity Preserved United States mark.
  • An explanation of the U.S. Identity Preserved system and assurance plan and how it assures quality and traceability.
  • Opportunities to include the Identity Preserved United States label on retail product packaging and how to communicate the mark’s message to customers.
  • Crop updates and outlooks from U.S. farmers.

Along with the Summit, SSGA will be exhibiting in booth E4-C12-34 at FOODEX March 5-8.

NCI to host on-demand and in-person soyfoods courses in 2024

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The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) will be hosting a variety of soyfoods courses in 2024, including; High Oleic Soyfoods, IP/Food Grade Soybean Procurement, INTSOY, and Plant-Based Texturized Protein Products. These courses offer opportunities to learn from both academic and industry professionals about soy from field to plate.

2024 NCI Soyfoods Courses

  • High Oleic Soyfoods (on-demand) course launched January 15, 2024 and is available now
  • IP/Food Grade Soybean Procurement (in-person) course will be held June 17-21, 2024
  • Plant-Based Texturized Protein Products (in-person) course will be held June 25-27, 2024
  • INTSOY (in-person) course will be held August 12-16, 2024

NCI’s on-demand courses allows participants to work through the course at their own pace and includes pre-recorded lectures and demonstrations, as well as a discussion board to ask questions and post comments. In-person courses will be held at the Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, ND, where participants will learn through lectures, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations. The INTSOY course includes visits to South Dakota and Minnesota.

These courses will benefit soy food companies, food R&D staff, dietitians, nutritionists, soy food product processors, personnel in the food industry, and more. Both domestic and international participants are welcomed to attend these courses.

“NCI’s soybean and soyfoods courses provide training to help participants learn about the quality of identity preserved (IP) food grade soybeans and how to utilize them in a variety of different food products. In-person courses incorporate lectures, activities and hands-on demonstrations so participants learn first-hand from experts how soybean quality impacts processing and final product quality,” says Brian Sorenson, NCI Program Manager.

Learn more about the soyfood courses NCI has to offer at https://www.northern-crops.com/courses.

SSGA growing opportunities at Minnesota events

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SSGA was greeted by enthusiastic audiences at two Minnesota events in January to discuss identity preserved field crops and opportunities for the upcoming growing season.

At MN Ag Expo Jan. 17-18, SSGA hosted a panel about options and opportunities for farmers to diversify their operation. Minnesota farmers Keith Schrader and Jon Thoreson spoke about the challenges, benefits and opportunities of growing identity preserved field crops while Mark Querna from Farmers Independent Research of Seed Technologies (FIRST) spoke about is third-party trials of non-GMO varieties.

Although growing identity preserved field crops requires extra care to ensure traceability, the panelists stressed that their operations would not undergo the extra work  if it didn’t make sense financially.

“It’s very beneficial for your farm but make sure you know the process,” Querna said about growing identity preserved.

SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick moderated the panel, and representatives from several regional exporters also joined the conversations and were available to talk to growers interested in trying an identity preserved variety on their farm.

SSGA also exhibited at the MN Ag Expo trade show, a show that attracts more than 90 exhibitors and 1,600 growers and industry members from Minnesota and beyond.

At the Minnesota Organic Conference, put on by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Jan. 11-12, Frederick presented updates in specialty soybeans, which included organic food-grade soybeans exported by SSGA members, and highlighted SSGA programs that support the industry during a breakout session sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council.

SSGA also exhibited at the MN Ag Expo trade show, an event that attracts more than 90 exhibitors and 1,600 growers and industry members from Minnesota and beyond.

NCI hosting high oleic soyfoods, soy food procurement courses

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Northern Crops Institute (NCI) recently launched an online course titled “High Oleic Soyfoods.” This online course is designed to introduce uses for high oleic soybean in food products and understand the impact of using high oleic soybean on processing, final product, and nutritional quality.

This course will be conducted using pre-recorded lectures and online activities for participants to complete as schedules allow during the length of the course. An ongoing Q&A discussion board and an opportunity for live interaction with presenters will be incorporated.

This course will benefit soy food companies, food R&D staff, dieticians, nutritionists and more!

This course will be offered online only. The deadline to register is Dec. 31, 2023. Learn more and register at this link.

NCI is planning their Food Soy Procurement Course for the week of June 17, 2024. SSGA members are encouraged to invite customers or prospective customers to take the course to learn about sourcing and purchasing high quality, identity preserved soybeans for food products. The course will begin in Fargo, N.D. and end in the Minneapolis area. NCI will also host Introduction to Soybean Course (INTSOY) starting on Aug. 12, 2024. Please reach out to Brian Sorenson at NCI for any questions about the 2024 courses.

Transportation Go! 2024 set for March 13-14

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Get ready to go to Transportation Go! March 13-14, 2024, in Toledo, Ohio. The premier conference for agriculture transportation and trade issues in the Midwest, Transportation Go! brings together growers, industry professional, carrier representatives, as well as state, regional and federal officials to discuss challenges, opportunities and new developments in the global logistics supply chain.

The event will be held at the Renaissance Downtown Toledo Hotel, overlooking the Maumee River and nearby the National Museum of the Great Lakes. SSGA is excited to bring the event back to the Great Lakes region after the successful 2023 event in Omaha.

Registration will open soon with discounts for SSGA members and those who register before Jan. 31, 2024.

Transportation Go! will be held back-to-back with SSGA’s annual meeting, which will be held March 12 in the same location. The annual meeting will highlight SSGA’s 2023 accomplishments and 2024 priorities and include updates from the action teams, SSGA Alliance Honors and officer elections.

Learn more about Transportation Go! here.

SSGA gathers for board meeting, gets first look at Ag Innovation Campus

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) board made their way to Fargo, N.D., Sept. 13-14 for the organization’s quarterly board meeting.

Before they got down to business on Thursday morning, the board toured Grand Farm during the Grand Farm Field Day featuring Nutrien.

Grand Farm, established in 2019, is a “network of growers, technologists, corporations, startups, educators, policymakers and investors working together to solve problems in agriculture with applied technology.” With a brick-and-mortar campus under construction in rural Casselton, N.D., Grand Farm will soon have a permanent home.

Created to solve the biggest problems in agriculture, Grand Farm is home to a wide variety of research plots, including a KWS Seeds sunflower plot that is testing a laser scarecrow.

“Partners come to us and explain their vision of what could happen out here, what they’re trying to test, and why they’re trying to test it,” Grand Farm Director William Aderholdt said. “Then we work with them to get plots put out. We make sure that from end to end they’re successful whether that be making sure the environment is ideal or making sure that planting happens on time or finding the right farm management contractors or doing data collection. All those things are really important to the work that we’re doing.”

During the field day, SSGA board members were able to tour the plots, learning about the research being conducted throughout the farm from Program Manager of Field Operations Ann Nobriga.

At the board meeting, the board discussed strategic marketing plans outreach, upcoming events and heard action team and administrative reports. After the meeting wrapped up, the board traveled to Crookston, Minn. for the Ag Innovation Campus (AIC) Phase One Grand Opening.

“What makes this facility so amazing is the vision and the mission that it is going to hold for agriculture,” Acting AIC CEO Tom Slunecka said in his opening remarks. “Not only will the AIC empower the value of agriculture in the region and add value with new employees to the city of Crookston, but this facility is going to change agriculture as a whole.”

The AIC is a not-for-profit facility that will produce an estimated 240 tons of soybean meal daily, equaling a grand total of 62,400 tons of soybean meal per year. With three independently operated mechanic crush systems, the AIC will be able to crush organic, non-GMO and GMO soybeans.

Phase one – the crush plant – is the first of the three-phase project. Phase two will feature an office complex and research labs. Phase three consists of rentable discovery bays that will be available for short to midterm use. Companies can then use the space to prove their designs at full production scale. The “Crushwalk” will also allow visitors to view the processing facility in a safe and bio secure manner.

“We’re going to develop and process products that consumers want today and tomorrow, not yesterday,” Slunecka said. “That’s the whole point of this center.”

SSGA will holds its next board meeting Thursday, Nov. 30 in Bloomington, Ill.

SSGA, US Identity Preserved on display at Soy Connext

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The U.S. Identity Preserved label was on display when SSGA participated in USSEC’s Soy Connext conference Aug. 21-23 in New York City. SSGA was a sponsor and manned a trade table where the organization was able to network with visiting buyers from all around the world and discuss identity preserved, food-grade and specialty soybeans.

Naturally, Prather pointed out, the soy milk was way more popular than the almond milk during the Soy Connext Soyfood Sourcing course.

In addition, SSGA took part in a pre-Soy Connext Soyfood Sourcing short course for about 30 soyfood buyers from Japan, Korea, China Taiwan and other Asian countries. Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick, board director Rob Prather of WeFARM Organics and Mai Nguyen of Scoular represented SSGA with discussions on the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan, varietal selection and working with suppliers, and why timing and planning are important when it comes to purchasing variety-specific, identity preserved soybeans as food ingredients.

In all, Soy Connext drew more than 700 attendees from 60 countries.

 

‘A firsthand look’: SSGA finds opportunities in Halifax

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) is creating opportunities beyond the St. Lawrence Seaway.

In August, SSGA hosted a See for Yourself Port of Halifax tour, sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (MSR&PC) with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board sponsoring Friday’s lunch. Connected to more than 150 countries, the Port of Halifax has the potential to export northern-grown soybeans to European countries through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, expanding the market and increasing farmers’ bottom lines.

“The See for Yourself program gave us a firsthand look at the shipping opportunities available to the Eastern United States and Canada,” said MSR&PC Vice Chair Gail Donkers. “Over the next 10-50 years, the Council is looking to expand markets out of Duluth and the Port of Halifax to provide more opportunities for Minnesota soybean farmers.”

Generating conversations was the focus while in Halifax. Those conversations were kickstarted at the PIER, a center for port innovation, planning and strategy, where attendees heard from key players in the shipping and transportation industry. As a member-supported company, the PIER is a living lab for maritime transportation and logistics, dedicated to solving persistent sector challenges.

“We want to drive innovation for our supply chain and create efficiencies,” said PIER Director David Thomas. “These problems are larger than just one partner. We have to be able to work with our rail line, with our terminal operators, with our carriers.”

Along with Thomas, SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg, MSR&PC Director of Market Development Kim Nill, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Executive Director Joe Smentek, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway International Trade Officer Jazmine Jurkiewicz, Atlantic Grains Council Vice President Neil Campbell and Hapag-Lloyd Senior Manager of Port Operations Xavier Hamonic spoke with the group.

“SSGA is focused on the logistics and the business behind this trade,” Wenberg said. “As a learning and listening organization, we’re going to have conversations and figure out what to do next. Shipping and transportation is the backbone of what we do.”

In marketing year 2021/2022, the United States exported more than 2 billion bushels of soybeans, yet only about two percent left the country via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Why? The better question is ‘Why not?’

“Why not Duluth-Superior?” Smentek asked. “We’ve had really great conversations with feed mills in Morocco. They want soy from the upper Midwest because they know the quality of the product that we have. There is a lot of opportunity for bulk shipments, especially port to port.”

Tackling trade barriers is hard work. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

“There are still barriers,” Smentek said. “The biggest one right now is economics. It is cheaper out of Houston and Norfolk. Highway H20 is working on a study to say, ‘Here is the cost that goes into the St. Lawrence Seaway and here’s the cost that goes into Houston.’”

In addition, exporting from Houston is cheaper because the state of Texas pays a lot of the costs associated with shipping and transportation.

“The question is, what fees can we tap into?” Smentek said. “If there is a pilot fee on a dock, can the state of Minnesota and Wisconsin pay for the pilot to come into Duluth-Superior? Can we start doing those things? But those questions haven’t even been asked yet. So that’s really what this effort is about.”

Luckily, neither SSGA nor soybean farmers shy away from asking questions that no one else is asking.

“It’s nice to have farmers, the experts, in the room to ask those questions,” Smentek said.

While there is still work to be done before the Port of Halifax becomes a hub for Upper Midwest-grown soybeans, SSGA and Minnesota and Wisconsin soybean growers are doing what they can to make the stars align.

“It’s a good exercise for Minnesota and Wisconsin checkoffs to make sure that there is a plan,” Smentek said. “And if you do have people that want U.S. soy like they do in Morocco, that they have a cheap, easy way to get it there and to get it there from Minnesota and Wisconsin.”