By Ashley Jost
ST. LOUIS — Representing the largest crop produced in the state, the Missouri Soybean Association’s efforts to get the word out about their member’s work don’t stop at state lines.
Dale Ludwig, the Association’s Executive Director, said advocating for legislation that’s important to members, education opportunities and research for different uses or types of soybean are some of the services the Association strives to provide for members.
Executive Director
“Missouri grows more soybeans than all the other major crops — not including hay — put together,” Ludwig said. “You drive by corn and it’s tall, but you drive by soybean and most people wouldn’t even recognize it. But it’s all over the place in Missouri.”
Last year, the Association opened up a $1.5 million research facility in Columbia to develop new innovations that could benefit members. Ludwig said the amount of money the organization spends on research for improvement to their Missouri products really sets them aside.
Ludwig said Missouri soybeans tend to be favored because they’re higher in protein and oil, which also makes them worth more money. The bean, he said, will grow just about anywhere where there aren’t trees, and it’s very adaptable. Additionally, Missouri and Minnesota are rare exceptions in that they are the only two states in the Midwest that grow more soybeans than they do corn or wheat.
He said the Association does a lot of work with animal agriculture groups, adding that there is an interdependence between the poultry, pork, beef and dairy industries and the soybean industry because a lot of the animals’ feeds are made from soybean meal.
“Soybean is about 20 percent oil and the other 80 percent would be soybean meal,” he said. “For example, you would blend corn and soybean meal for most poultry rations. So, the largest customer we have is the livestock industry.”
During this past legislative session, Ludwig said the Association worked with Missouri Farmers Care — which they are a member of — on the “Right to Farm” constitutional amendment that voters will decide during November 2014.
An effort to add to the Biodiesel Incentive Fund was another legislative effort the Association played a part in during this past year as there are several operations that received incentives they haven’t received from the state yet. While there was some success in this legislative effort, he said there’s still a ways to go.
Looking ahead to the next session, Ludwig said there are a few projects supporting the livestock industry that they plan to back.
Promoting the soybeans produced in Missouri on a worldwide level is another portion of what Ludwig the Association strives to do.
Of the total numbers of product each year, 40 percent of it stays within Missouri and 60 percent is exported, with much of that amount heading overseas to places like Taiwan, which has one of the largest soy consumptions in the world. Taiwan, Ludwig said, uses specialty beans that come at a higher value — bringing more revenue back to where they’re produced.
“I’ve been working here for 22 years, and it’s the greatest job in the world,” Ludwig said. “We just offered somebody a job today and I told them ‘if you can dream it, you can do it.’ We have a forward-looking Board of Directors and as long as something makes sense as far as promoting soybeans or increasing production or demand, they’re willing to give it a try.”
Ashley Jost is no longer with The Missouri Times. She worked as the executive editor for several months, and a reporter before that.