The United Soybean Board, the national organization that invests soybean checkoff dollars to create demand for U.S. soybeans, will partner with Oranni Consulting and Transition Management Consulting to complete an external market analysis of effective international marketing programs. "It's extremely important that USB seek the best model or models because more than half of U.S. soybeans are exported," said USB Chairman Chuck Myers, a soybean farmer from Lyons, Neb. "We have been using the same model for international marketing for the past 50 years. We need to adjust and adapt to the global marketplace and our customers' needs."

A new soybean organization was formed earlier this year as a policy and advocacy group for soybean farmers. The U.S. Soybean Federation's first policy objective was to support the current soybean checkoff program administered by the USB, according to Jerry Slocum, USSF vice president and a soybean farmer from Coldwater, Miss. A recent USB update indicated only 759 producers signed a petition asking for a vote on the national soybean checkoff program, he reported. "We congratulate soybean checkoff state and national volunteer directors on this vote of confidence, but also thank U.S. soybean farmers for understanding the importance of the program," Slocum said. The USSF board set cap and trade as a priority policy to work on in the months ahead. "We need to make sure that the final cap-and-trade legislation is good for the environment without being detrimental to U.S. soybean farmers," said Warren Stemme, USSF president and a soybean farmer from Chesterfield, Mo.