Source: United Soybean Board (USB) news release
ST. LOUIS -- From your running shoes to the renewable fuels moving our trucks, trains, and ships, soybeans are quietly transforming America's economy and giving farmers new ways to stay competitive in a changing world. As soybean farmers navigate volatile export markets, they're leveraging homegrown innovation to build domestic demand across the food, energy and animal feed sectors. This U.S.-grown crop also provides a renewable alternative to petroleum in everyday products, which power a sustainable future.
"U.S. Soy is creating a big ripple effect with a $120 billion impact on the U.S. economy, and it's our job as farmers to feed and fuel the world," said Philip Good, Chair of the United Soybean Board and Mississippi farmer who raises soybeans, corn, cotton, beef cattle and catfish. "As farmers, we know that challenges are also opportunities. Whether it's at the United Soybean Board or on my farm, these domestic markets are an opportunity right now for us to develop and continually expand."
A Strategic Pivot Toward Domestic Resilience
About 60% of U.S. soybeans are exported, making farmers vulnerable to tariffs and shifts in global trade. Today, half a million U.S. soybean farmers collectively invest in U.S. markets -- biofuels, biobased products, human nutrition and poultry, dairy and pig feed sectors that provide value through domestic channels and provide long-term stability. However, export markets and growing international demand for U.S. Soy still remain top of mind for the agriculture industry.
Domestic markets have always been on soybean farmers' radar. Thirty years ago, they created the biofuels market through the United Soybean Board. In the last 15 years, soy usage in biofuels has grown from 80 million bushels to a staggering 1.2 billion bushels. This can be attributed to farmers' strategic foresight, and those numbers continue to grow.
From Fuel Tanks to Firefighting Foam
Soybean oil is now being used to fuel commercial trucks, school buses, and even trains, with all six Class 1 railroads committed to expanding their use of soy-based biofuels. By 2030, clean fuels will eliminate over 50 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions annually1 and already reduce emissions by more than 70% on average compared to traditional petroleum diesel.
The innovation doesn't stop at fuel. Soy is also found in more than 1,000 consumer products, from PFAS-free firefighting foam, which can potentially utilize the protein from 12 million bushels of soybeans, to synthetic turf, shoes, tires, plastics, plywood, and even emergency services [see accompanying infographic]. A surge in demand for soy-based products across various sectors is helping to diversify markets and keep farm families in business.
"U.S. Soy is no longer solely an animal feed or export crop, it's a platform for American innovation," said Lucas Lentsch, CEO of the United Soybean Board. "These investments aren't abstract. They're happening on the farm and in the market today, creating real impact and new value for companies, consumers and farmers. This isn't niche, it's the future of American manufacturing and energy. With soy as a drop-in replacement, a petroleum use today is a soy innovation tomorrow," Lentsch said.
Sustainable Production that Starts at the Source
U.S. soybean farmers are global leaders in sustainable production. Through cover crops, conservation tillage, and precision technologies, they're producing more with less while improving soil and water health. Initiatives like Farmers for Soil Health, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and led by the soy, corn and pork commodity groups, aim to double cover crop acreage and reach 30 million acres by 2030.
"As farmers, we know sustainability isn't a buzzword, it's how we operate every day," said Good. "My 99-year-old father once taught me to treat our soil like a bank account and make more deposits than withdrawals, and that's stuck with me through my farming career. Whether it's reducing emissions through cleaner fuels or replacing petroleum in everyday products, we're showing how U.S. agriculture can drive innovation and protect the planet at the same time."
Big Numbers, Big Impact - U.S. Soy:
*Contributes $124 billion to the U.S. economy and supports more than 500,000 on-farm jobs.
*Remains America's No. 1 agricultural export, adding more than $31 billion to the U.S. economy.
*Adds $9.8 billion to the GDP annually and generates $1 billion in tax revenue.
*Displaces about 10.7 million barrels of oil a year through the biobased products industry.
*Surrounds us in more than 1,000 products in the streets we drive on, the shoes we wear and the biofuels for our vehicles.
About United Soybean Board
United Soybean Board's 77 volunteer farmer-leaders work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their Soy Checkoff investments. These volunteers create value by investing in research, education and promotion with the vision to deliver sustainable soy solutions to every life, every day across the three priority areas of Infrastructure & Connectivity, Health & Nutrition, and Innovation & Technology. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the Soy Checkoff.
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