Soy Checkoff Groups Promote ‘Clean Beans’ at Soy Connext

That’s what makes the Minnesota Research & Promotion Council’s (MSR&PC) membership in Northern Soy Marketing (NSM) so valuable, especially at events like Soy Connext, which took place Aug. 19-21 in San Francisco.

The conference, billed as the Global U.S. Soy Summit, hosted more than 400 international soy customers from over 60 countries, including Indonesia, which is a target audience for NSM, and by association, MSR&PC.

“Getting face time with international customers is critical,” said Katelyn Engquist, NSM market development project manager. “Soy Connext is an excellent opportunity for us to actively engage with the people who are making purchasing decisions.”

International customers from Southeast Asia have long been a focus for NSM’s messaging.

“Southeast Asia is an ideal market for northern-grown soybeans and soymeal leaving the U.S. through the Pacific Northwest (PNW),” Engquist said. “So, while we were at Soy Connext, we highlighted the quality, consistency and reliability of soybeans grown in our member states which often leave via the PNW.”

Traditionally, soybean quality has been based upon crude protein content, but that measurement is only an estimate of the total amino acids based on the level of nitrogen detected. In an effort to change the language of soybean quality, NSM encourages the adoption of the critical amino acid value (CAAV).

“We’re working to educate international customers about the advantages of adopting CAAV, which is a calculation of the sum of the five most critical amino acids – lysine, cysteine, methionine, threonine and tryptophan,” Engquist said.