At the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) annual Washington Watch event in Washington, D.C., Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to talk with United Soybean Board Director, Patrick Giberson, about different ways to utilize soybeans.
“The opportunities for soybeans are endless,” Giberson said. “Two of our big ones have just come out.”
Giberson said USB has recently partnered with DeWalt to produce an environmentally friendly bar and chain oil. This new product is available now in 1300 Home Depots nationwide.
The next exciting partnership Giberson talked about is the use of soybeans in firefighting foam which does not contain forever chemicals such as PFAS.
With farmer investment, the safer alternative, SoyFoam™, eliminates this exposure, prioritizing the well-being of our first responders. Cross Plains Solutions’ SoyFoam™ TF 1122 is the first and only firefighting foam GreenScreen Certified® at the Gold level. This partnership between Cross Plains Solutions and the soy checkoff gives firefighters one less thing to worry about while keeping our communities safe.
“They put their lives on the line every day for us, so if we can get them home safely and have something safe for the environment, I think it is a win for everybody,” Giberson said.
The use of soybean has increased dramatically over the years, Giberson said, in products many never imagined possible.
“There are things in the pipeline now, that it seems like it snowballs when we find one use for this certain product we are trying to make or the chemical formulation, it just continually falls into another spot,” Giberson said.
Regarding marketing opportunities for soybeans going forward, Giberson said there is room to grow in the biofuels market.
“Moving forward I think there is a lot of opportunity coming online with that, and it is something that is growing,” Giberson said. “I don’t think it is going to jump all at once, but it will gradually grow.”
