Complete Story
08/02/2006
Three Soybean Representatives Named to National Soy 2020 Steering Committee
Contact: Jamie Mossbarger
Communications Director
614-476-3100
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 2, 2006
Three Ohio Soybean Representatives Named to National Soy 2020 Steering Committee
Columbus, OH Three Ohio soybean leaders have been named to the national Soy 2020 steering committee and traveled to St. Louis today to participate in the committee's first meeting that will analyze the soybean industry through the year 2020. Amy Davis, Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) chairman and Jeff Sollars Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) president will represent state soybean interests on the steering committee along with OSC and OSA Executive Director John Lumpe.
"With enormous opportunities and challenges emerging at a rapid pace in the soybean industry, a comprehensive look at our future can ensure our continued competitiveness in the global marketplace," says Davis. "Success of Soy 2020 is contingent on bringing all industry segments together to design a dynamic vision that is embraced and adapted across the U.S. soybean industry to promote positive change and growth."
Representatives from the American Soybean Association, academia, government, the food, feed, seed, processing and industrial use segments, finance, technology, media and other farm organizations will also serve on the steering committee. Two advisory groups will be named, made up of state soybean association and checkoff leaders and media representatives, to provide input in crafting the vision and developing strategy. Funding for the project will come from soybean industry stakeholders, including the checkoff.
One of the first actions will be to perform an "environmental scan," or comprehensive examination of the industry, that will identify several areas of emphasis and consideration. Factors and components that will be considered for the scan include the export marketplace, world trade developments, global poultry and livestock industries, the 2007 Farm Bill and budget and environmental policies affecting soybean production.
Other possible factors to be explored include biodiesel use, petroleum oil prices, competition from other crops, countries and feedstocks, global economics, food use, land values, premium market opportunities and domestic transportation constraints.
More information on Soy 2020 is expected to be released later this year.
The Ohio Soybean Association is governed by a 23-member volunteer farmer board dedicated to education and promotion, as well as to uniting producer interest through support of legislative activities beneficial to the Ohio soybean industry. The Ohio Soybean Council is governed by a 18-member volunteer farmer board, which directs the Soybean Promotion and Research Program. The program's primary goal is to improve soybean profitability by targeting research and development projects through the investment of farmer-contributed funds.
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