Farm Director KC Sheperd is talking with United Soybean Board Director, Communication and Education Chair, Matthew Gast, about the latest innovations for soybeans, Checkoff work, and more.
While animal agriculture is the biggest customer of the soybean industry, Gast said the presence of soybean crush facilities has increased. Gast said soybean use continues to grow, as soybean oil has recently been used to make tires, firefighting foam, synthetic lawn turf, and much more.
“We are continually finding new uses for soy and expanding what it is used for,” Gast said. “We are very proud of those things and things that we have funded and projects to help increase the value of U.S. soybeans.”
Every five years, Gast said the Soybean Checkoff performs a Return on Investment study. As of now, Gast said for every dollar a farmer puts into the checkoff, they get a $12.34 return on investment.
“For all of us that serve on the United Soybean Board, it is an honor to be appointed to this board and to serve all 515,000 U.S. soybean farmers, and it is something we take a lot of pride in,” Gast said.
Gast said because many of the people he works with at the United Soybean Board are performing as volunteers, there is a lot of passion for the industry within the group.
“Last year I was gone for two months traveling for soybean meetings in a volunteer position,” Gast said. “Everybody that does it is very passionate about it, and we continue to grow the value of U.S. soy and things it is being used in. We are continuing to find new markets, but also build on our current markets.”
Another important role of the Soybean Checkoff is not only educating consumers, Gast said, but also telling farmers how their dollars are being used effectively.
“We have a great staff at USB that really hits home on what we are doing,” Gast said.
On June 22nd, the documentary “Groundbreaking: A Story of Innovation” was released on A&E. Gast said the documentary highlights the history of soy and the various uses. Gast said the documentary is one of many examples of the hard work and dedication of the U.S. soy team members.
“It has been really neat to see the work of the Board of Directors as well as the staff, and the hard work everybody has put in,” Gast said. “It has been a pleasure to be on this board and this committee as well.”
