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Investing in production research benefits America’s soybean farmers

A northeast Indiana farmer says continuing to invest soybean checkoff dollars into production research is crucial to the bottom line for farmers.

Don Wyss, an Executive Committee member for the United Soybean Board, says it’s all about finding ways to improve performance without increasing costs. “The areas that we’re focused on is either increasing that yield or maintaining that yield like in this drought environment that we’ve been in,” he says.  “We still need the bushels to produce to give us a margin that continues to make our farm and our family farms more effective.”

He tells Brownfield that some research has been focused on bringing improved varieties to the market. Wyss says high oleic soybeans are a perfect example. “Growing the range of that maturity group so that we can see those high oleic soybeans growing in other parts of the countries,” he says.  “We’re looking to expand that from Group 0 to Group 7. That should just about cover most anyone.”

He says production research is just one way for farmers to see return on their soybean checkoff dollars.

AUDIO: Don Wyss, Indiana farmer and United Soybean Board Executive Committee