Building relationships – from ‘Fork to Farm’

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The term “fork to farm” still might sound backwards to some, but for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) and its members who supply food-grade soybeans, including those labeled with the U.S. Identity Preserved mark, it’s all forward thinking.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, SSGA brought the fork to the farm with its second Fork to Farm Day of the summer, this time hosting an Asian trade team in west-central Wisconsin, a hotbed of food-grade, identity preserved soybeans. The Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB) sponsored the event.

“A lot of varieties can grow in Wisconsin,” said Scott Sinner, partner with SSGA-member SB&B Foods, a North Dakota-based company with a facility in Bloomer, Wis. “They ship out of Minneapolis, and farmers here have the same attitude: They know what’s needed for a safe, reliable crop.”

The trade team came to the U.S. via the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) and included visitors from Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Kazakhstan and Myanmar. The group, which over the previous five days participated in Northern Crops Institute’s INTSOY course, traveling around North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, added the Fork to Farm event to its travel itinerary, first stopping at SB&B where it heard presentations and remarks from Sinner and representatives of SSGA, WSMB and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

“Events like Fork to Farm help form the beginnings of relationships,” said Mark Rhoda-Ries, director of the DATCP’s Export and Business Development Bureau. “With relationships, you can build trust, and with trust, you can build business.”

Andy Bensend, a farmer from Dallas, Wis., a director on the WSMB and a former SSGA board director, agreed.

“Relationships are critical to our success,” he told the visitors. “We rely on our customers overseas. We need to understand what brings value to you in your business that can help you succeed. We’re always learning, always curious, always trying to do better. … All of the spokes to this wheel have to fit together to help you receive what you are looking for.”

The group took a tour of SB&B’s food-grade processing facility and learned from Plant General Manager Tim Mohr, about the strict testing, sampling and other quality assurances the company follows in its identity preserved processes. It then went to a nearby restaurant for a networking lunch before going to Rooney Farms, a family-owned and operated farm and grain storage facility in Chippewa Falls, Wis.

There, they visited a nearby food-grade soybean field and talked to farm agronomist Ted Hilgerson and then got an up-close-and-personal look at the farm’s heavy equipment, workshops and storge bins.

SB&B Foods
SB&B Foods
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Among their crops, Rooney Farms grows identity preserved soybeans that are delivered just 15 minutes up the road to SB&B. Bensend also grows for SB&B.

“Identity preserved is key to us here in Wisconsin,” Bensend said. “Northwest Wisconsin will continue to be an area where IP production and the diverse agriculture in our state will always be in play for us – because we have the perfect spot to do it.”

The group ended the day with a fun, cultural event, touring Leinenkugel’s, a 155-year-old brewery in Chippewa Falls, and continuing the relationship-building process.

“It’s always a great pleasure to bring our overseas customers in to see our production capacity, our processing and our export business and all the different aspects of them,” Bensend said, “and to build those relationships with the folks who are our customers and who buy our soybeans. It’s just a win-win for everybody.”

The Wisconsin event followed a similar program in Illinois in June and one in Minnesota during the summer of 2022.

“SSGA is grateful for the support from states where identity preserved soybeans and other specialty field crops are prevalent,” said Shane Frederick, SSGA’s manager of strategic programs. “It’s our group’s goal to connect forks around the world to the farms and businesses in those states so we can have fruitful conversations and build lasting connections.”

SSGA highlights economic benefits of U.S. Identity Preserved to trade group

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The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) welcomed a small trade group from Cambodia and Myanmar to Fargo, N.D., this week as part of a Food Grade Soybean Procurement Course. The course focused on the various aspects of sourcing and purchasing high-quality identity preserved (IP) soybeans for food products such as tofu, soymilk and tempeh.

“Through this course, our group had the opportunity to learn more about IP soybeans, meet with U.S. exporters and learn more about the quality of the U.S. identity preserved system from the seed to when it arrives at their facility,” said Alan Poock, Asia Division Director for the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH).

As incomes rise in many Asian countries, so does the emphasis on food safety and food quality. Identity preserved provides a way to know the history of the ingredients, including when it’s planted and harvested and where it was stored. This allows the soy consumer to be confident that their soy ingredients are consistently of high quality and handled in a safe way.

For those IP soy purchasers, typically from Asian countries, that confidence in a high-quality product is important, especially since they are paying more for IP than traditional soybeans. However, Shane Frederick, manager of strategic Programs with Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA), spoke to the WISHH group of how SSGA’s U.S. Identity Preserved mark and assurance plan, which was established in 2021, saves significant costs during processing and can increase profits at market.

“One of our big challenges is to convince the foreign buyer that they have to pay more for this variety-specific identity preserved product,” Frederick said, “but, really, when you break things down there is an economic advantage to paying more.”

Along with high quality and variety specificity, the product is already cleaned and sorted, which means that the purchaser will save money during processing on cleaning and sorting costs, as well as equipment maintenance and labor over time. Frederick also reported that higher protein IP varieties can get more bang for their buck and charge more for an overall better product.

NCI’s Food Grade Soybean Procurement Course, which was sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, also gave the participants an inside look into the process of purchasing IP soybeans.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to provide a better understanding of food-grade soybean production in this region of the world and help them understand how to purchase it, who to purchase it from and overall how the system works,” said Northern Crops Institute Program Manager Brian Sorenson. “When they go back to their home country, we want them to have a really good understanding of what it takes to buy IP, as well as take away some of the unknowns and concerns that they may have had about the process.”

In addition to learning about economic advantages to IP, the WISHH trade group learned in-depth about the markets, soy food plant operations and soybean harvest and storage. The delegation also toured various soybean processing facilities and area farms where IP soybeans are grown.

The trade mission wraps up with a trip to Illinois for SSGA’s Fork to Farm event on June 26. Fork to Farm connects the end users of the IP soybeans with farmers who grow the product, and allows potential IP growers to network with current growers and learn more about what it takes to grow IP.

SSGA tours Port of Duluth

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance experienced a closer look at the burgeoning shipping opportunities at the Port of Duluth-Superior during a visit with four Moroccan buyers as part of a trade mission led by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC).

SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick visited SSGA members Hansen-Mueller and Duluth Seaway Port Authority during the tour of the Hansen-Mueller Elevator in Duluth.

“You’re seeing history here,” Facility Manager Jeff Blaskowski said of Hansen-Mueller, which acquired the facility in 2022 after several years of vacancies. “This is a cool, old elevator.”

The Hansen-Mueller facility can store 3.5 million bushels of grain and stands 195 feet above the bar. The site also supports nine legs and has a nearly 2,000-foot dock and on-dock rail service from BNSF Railway. The facility was built in the late 1800s – “You’re not going to see a lot of automation here – yet,” Blaskowski said – and can export small grains, plus soybeans and meal, from the United States and Canada to both domestic and international customers.

Following the Hansen-Mueller visit, the delegation, which included buyers from Morocco’s feed milling industry, toured the Port of Duluth-Superior.

Though the port still ships about a million tons of grain annually – wheat and beet pulp pellets are some of the top exported commodities – iron ore is far and away the most popular material exported from the Port of Duluth-Superior, which first opened for commercial shipping over 150 years ago. The port is the continent’s furthest inland seaport and the highest-ranking port on the Great Lakes, attracting about 900 vessels each year. Shippers prefer shipping via Duluth-Superior party because traffic is uncongested; traffic on the Seaway could double and ships and barges would still flow freely.

“The great thing about the Great Lakes is we can offer a diversified supply chain for many of these shippers utilizing the coast,” said Kate Ferguson, director of trade and business development with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “So many companies want to diversify their risks, and we know the Great Lakes can be a reliable chain.”

Grain shipments at the port dipped by 20% in 2022, the port’s smallest grain throughput since 1890. The port hasn’t moved soybeans in about five years, and overall grain exports could drop again in 2023.

“It was great to visit with our members, and see the potential shipping opportunities at the Hansen-Mueller facility in Duluth,” Frederick said “We appreciated the opportunity to visit the Port of Duluth-Superior and tell our story.” 

SSGA presents at Indian Plant Based Foods Summit

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On May 24-29, SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg visited India as a guest of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), accompanying USSEC CEO Jim Sutter and Regional Director Kevin Roepke. The team spoke at the second annual Plant Based Foods Summit, organized by the Plant Based Foods Industry Association, held meetings and tours in New Delhi and Bhopal, visited the U.S. Embassy and staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service and Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) staff. USSEC and SSGA have coordinated activities and market access plans in India for three years, trying to open the market for food grade soybeans and products.

With a protein deficit and a significant population that practices vegetarianism, India has an unmet demand in soy and other plant-based foods. The country has a dynamic entrepreneurial food manufacturing industry, filled with startups finding new dishes, tastes and combining Indian tradition with popular new foods. This is all borne out by the Plant Based Food Industry Association and its dynamic leader Sanjay Sethi. Sethi spent the day of the conference speaking, presenting awards and meeting with startups seeking business advice. The conference also included cooking demonstrations and a trade show. The dialogue on plant-based foods directly parallels the USSEC-supported Right to Protein campaign, which helps India understand how its health and diet can be improved with soy and protein, and advocates for better wellness for the population.

Wenberg helped the team with what SSGA does best: providing expertise and technical background on market access and strategies to promote U.S. soy in food manufacturing. Wenberg also discussed SSGA’s High Quality Specialty Grain program operated with USDA APHIS and its U.S. Identity Preserved Assurance Plan to provide education and market opportunities even in difficult-to-access places like India.

U.S. Soybean Export Council CEO Jim Sutter and Eric Wenberg.
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The SSGA and USSEC team especially enjoyed their tour of Bionutrients, Inc., a tofu, soymilk powder and ingredients production facility. India manufacturers use products from Bionutrients to make their own soy milks, soy-based yogurts and ice creams. The team had a tour of the world class facilities with world class tastes. It was clear that more high-quality U.S. soy would be a financial and capacity benefit to Bionutrients. The owner, Mr. Sumit Agarwal, is a U.S. Identity Preserved program supporter, speaking at SSGA’s international launch of the program in Vietnam in November 2022. Sutter and Wenberg planted a tree together at Bionutrients factory at the request of Agarwal, to express everyone’s desire to make opportunities grow in India.

Manufacturers like Bionutrients and others face market barriers to importing U.S. soy, such as high tariffs, even while the nation imports manufactured soyfoods, holding back job creation in its domestic economy. USSEC and SSGA look forward to continuing their partnership to gain market access for U.S. food grade soybeans and products to India.

High Quality Specialty Grains inspection program can aid phytosanitary requirement

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Japan’s new requirement for a phytosanitary certificate for U.S. origin shipments of soybeans and soybean meal begins on Aug. 5, 2023. This requirement by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries applies to all shipments landing in Japan on or after that date. Shipments without a phytosanitary certificate will be rejected.

SSGA successfully negotiated to delay implementation of this requirement for three years, and, over that time, worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as APHIS developed a stronger process approach for inspections of high-quality grains and oilseeds grown in the United States and exported for human consumption or processed for human consumption and are shipped bagged or bulk in containers.

APHIS’s High Quality Specialty Grains (HQSG) inspection program, is now up in running – in time for Japan’s new phytosanitary requirement.

This process-oriented, audit-based program helps our small, rural businesses reduce costs in their applications for phytosanitary certificates while also providing effective oversight through compliance with APHIS.

More information about the HQSG program and its requirements and procedures is available in the updated USDA Export Manual, beginning on page 157 of the linked PDF.

Grain facilities interested in participating should contact SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg for more information on registration requirements and to request application materials at 507-385-7577 or ewenberg@soyagrainsalliance.org.

SSGA thanks APHIS for establishing the program and thanks the Illinois Soybean Association, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board for their support in the development of this program.

NCI to host soybean courses

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The Northern Crop Institute will host two soybean courses this summer. Industry members and processors of soy foods, foreign and domestic, are encouraged to attend either course in Fargo, N.D. SSGA members are encouraged to invite their customers or potential customers.

Follow the links below for more information on the courses and to register.

The Food-Grade Soybean Procurement focuses on sourcing and purchasing high quality, identity preserved soybeans for food products. The course will be held June 19-23. Learn more here.

INTSOY (Introduction to Soybean) course will be held Aug. 7-11. This course provides an overview of many aspects of the soy industry, including new ideas for soy-based foods, soy as a supplement to fortify foods, soy as animal nutrition and an overview of U.S. soy production. Learn more at this link.

Please email brian.sorenson@ndsu.edu with questions on the courses.

SSGA will hold Fork to Farm Day events at the end of these courses; in Illinois in conjunction with the Illinois Soybean Association on June 26 and in Wisconsin with the support of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board on Aug. 12.

IP Farming course now available at SSGA University

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s online learning modules, SSGA University, continue to expand.

All that’s missing now is a mascot!

Last week, SSGA University added a new module to its curriculum, a farmer-focused course on growing identity preserved crops.

The new module is a quick, easy and affordable way for farmers curious about or who may be interested in growing identity preserved soybeans and other specialty crops. Those who take the course, learn about what the identity preserved system is and why identity preserved crops are worth growing. Additionally, there are overviews on traceability, processor relationships, opportunities and challenges and best practices for growing identity preserved field crops.

After successfully complete the course, they receive a certificate and a technical manual that allows them to take a deeper dive into the topic.

“As the U.S. looks to expand identity preserved acres, farmers need more information on what their options are and how they might get started,” said Shane Frederick, SSGA’s manager of strategic programs. “This new SSGA University course provides a primer so they can consider identity preserved  as part of their production.”

Launched in fall of 2021, SSGA University now has learning modules that cover the “IP Highway” or full identity preserved system, as well as ones that cover the value of purchasing identity preserved soybeans for foods such as tofu and soymilk; miso and natto; tempeh; soybean meal, soy flours, protein concentrates and isolates; and buying decisions and technical information on identity preserved specialty and ancient grains. There is also a course on containerized shipping and one that covers SSGA’s phytosanitary project and trains companies enrolled in the High Quality Specialty Grain program.

To enroll in an SSGA University program, go to ssga-university.thinkific.com. Cost for the new Growing Identity Preserved Crops course is $100. Foreign customers may be eligible for discounted course costs. Please reach out to Shane Frederick for more information at sfrederick@soyagrainsalliance.org.

SSGA pitches U.S. Identity Preserved in Dubai

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SSGA had the honor of presenting at “Pitch2Fork,” an investor/start-up meeting in Dubai on Dec. 14-15. The event was hosted by Right to Protein and supported by U.S. Soy. The agenda included a lineup of entrepreneurs and start-ups who showcased impactful ideas and success stories in the food, nutrition, and agri-technology space. The event brought together the community of start-ups, investors, mentors and academicians who aimed to solve challenges in nutrition security.

SSGA was invited by USSEC to present, and SSGA adviser and identity preserved expert and farmer Raquel Hansen, spoke about identity preserved and introduced the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand program to the audience. Hansen’s message explained how IP is the “value that adds value,” because, despite premiums paid for identity preserved field crops, the operational benefits outweigh those initial costs.

In a “Shark Tank”-type format, five different start-up companies from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan pitched their company and business plan in front of six judges of the International Delegation of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, along with approximately 90 attendees hand-selected to represent capital investment firms, food and nutrition companies and agri-technology companies throughout the South Asia and the Sub-African region. Other speakers presented on the future of agriculture, U.S. Soy and Sustainability, ESG (environmental, social, and governance), plant-based foods, and blockchain and cryptocurrency in agriculture.

This format was very intriguing and interactive, Hansen said, allowing for networking activities to reach companies throughout the developing region. SSGA was privileged to be a part of the program supporting activities around identity preserved grains and oilseeds.

“Right to Protein” is India’s first awareness initiative to educate citizens about the importance of adequate protein consumption for better nutrition, health and wellbeing. SSGA and its members are proud to be a part of the initiative!

U.S. Identity Preserved gets international launch

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In December 2021, the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) launched a new mark, designating premium crops with verifiable origins. The U.S. Identity Preserved quality assurance plan and brand mark symbolizes a significant advancement in the verification of trust, traceability and value for food manufacturers, processors and exporters. Since the unveiling, 10 U.S. companies have joined the program and are using the mark – with several more companies currently going through the application and qualification process.

It’s now time to officially introduce U.S. Identity Preserved to the world:

On Nov. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, SSGA will hold a special event to launch the U.S. Identity Preserved brand internationally and build global awareness of the assurance plan that ensures the high quality that comes from the U.S. system. Please join us for an in-person media and industry event at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers or online, as the launch will be broadcast throughout the region and the world via YouTube.

“We’re excited to come to Vietnam and launch the U.S. Identity Preserved brand there and throughout the region where there is a growing market for high-quality, variety-specific soybeans and grains,” said Eric Wenberg, SSGA executive director. “While these products may cost more than conventional crops, they provide efficiencies that save time and money during production. We’re looking forward to telling that story in person to an international audience.”

As food producers seek higher quality and better consistency in their ingredients and consumers focus on traceability and safety in the foods they purchase, U.S. Identity Preserved products fulfill those wants and needs.

“The mission of U.S. Identity Preserved is to bring together the United States’ IP industry and establish the U.S. as a quality origin for identity preserved crops,” said Bob Sinner, president of SB&B Foods, one of the first companies to join the U.S. Identity Preserved program. “The assurance plan highlights the great care and attention to detail that goes into every shipment of our high-quality, premium agriculture products and ingredients.”

The November 1st press event will include in-person-only business-to-business meetings and offer networking opportunities between U.S. exporters and Vietnamese and other southeast Asian importing companies. The following day, SSGA will offer 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. Please join us on November 1-2 in person or on-line.

Learn more and register for the event here.

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.