Ohio Soy 2020

The Vision

New opportunities and challenges are arising through unprecedented growth of the U.S. food, agriculture and renewable energy industries. The Ohio soybean industry is in a unique position to leverage its strengths to position itself for a thriving future in feeding the world's need for soy products.

Soy 2020 is a national initiative that looks at different scenarios for the soybean industry to the year 2020, and Ohio is the first state to bring this initiative to the state level to specifically analyze how Ohio's soybean industry could change over next 13 years.

In early August, the Ohio Soybean Council and the soybean checkoff, in partnership with the United Soybean Board, hosted the first Ohio Soy 2020 forum. The Ohio Soy 2020 forum brought together representatives from virtually every facet of Ohio's soybean industry to look to the future and draw from the insights of the national Soy 2020 program.

The Objective

The primary objective of Ohio's Soy 2020 initiative is to provide strategies for all segments of the Ohio soybean industry to have a winning strategy within an increasingly global and continuously changing environment. The August 2007 visioning meeting focused on three areas:

  • Keeping Ohio's soybean industry moving forward.
  • Maintaining a thriving industry at a local (Ohio) and national level.
  • Mapping a plan for the future

Ohio Strengths

The Ohio soybean industry has some unique strengths that can help Ohio soybean producers position themselves for a successful future. These strengths include:

  • Sustainable farmland and large customer base
  • Innovative producers willing to adopt new technologies
  • Access to international markets and states that do not supply soybeans
  • Availability of transport modals (interstates, rivers, etc.)
  • Local channel partnership opportunities, from production to processing and distribution Existing collaboration of key stakeholders
  • Diverse population, soil types, industry and economy

Strategic Themes

These strategic themes, or goals, were developed to help guide the Ohio soybean industry to a successful future:

  • Position Ohio as a world leader in soy bio-products through R&D, production and commercialization of soybean product technology.
  • Attract new businesses and talent resources throughout all sections of the value chain by building a thriving entrepreneurial environment in the Ohio soybean industry.
  • Collaborate effectively and innovatively with other agricultural stakeholders.
  • Develop and support the robust infrastructure and logistics needed to support the growing, world-class industry.
  • Identify and develop new market opportunities for Ohio soybeans, both domestically and internationally.
  • Create a proactive soybean industry workforce.
  • Show that we understand and meet the needs of the consumer.
  • Build OBIC concept.
  • Target niche markets.

Ohio Soy 2020 SWOT Analysis

An Ohio Soy 2020 SWOT analysis was recently conducted, and it highlights the Ohio soybean industry's strengths, weaknesses in the value chain, opportunities, threats and competitive advantage. To view the SWOT analysis,

CLICK HERE.

Ohio Soy 2020 Steering Committee

To view the list of Ohio Soy 2020 Steering Committee Members, CLICK HERE.

Soy 2020 Scenarios

These scenarios represent four "potential" future worlds that could exist based upon soy and other crops ability to maintain a sustainable technology innovation advantage relative to other competing technologies.

  • Full Speed Ahead : Sustainable soy technology innovation advantages, while such technology does not advance for competing crops.
  • Shared Success : Sustainable technologies exist for soy and other crops, with numerous benefits challenging competiveness.
  • Off-Shore Migration : Soy struggles to compete as there are no soy specific technology innovation advantages. Other crops have sustainable advantages.
  • Forward to the Past : No sustainable technology or innovations for soy or other crops creates a constant state.