The Missouri Soybean Association and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council held a grand opening event for the new Center for Soy Innovation in Jefferson City on March 5, 2020. Gov. Mike Parson addressed the gathering, as well as representatives from the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board.
The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council’s efforts to drive research and education for all things soy are starting 2020 by ‘leveling up’ through new opportunities through the new Center for Soy Innovation. Following its March 5 grand opening, the Center stands to connect developments in soybean innovation with farmers and industry partners, as well as the community.
“This is bringing our number one crop and our soybean research to people in a very real way, communicating the impact soybean have on our lives every day,” said Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council chairman Robert Alpers of Prairie Home. “The Center for Soy Innovation is our answer to ‘Who and what are we going to be to the farmers of Missouri for the next 20 years?’, and we’re very proud of this path forward.”
The Center for Soy Innovation brings together many organizations working with and on behalf of Missouri’s soybean growers in one location, including the Missouri Soybean Association and Merchandising Council, the Biodiesel Coalition of Missouri and Foundation for Soy Innovation, as well as the administrative functions for farmer-owned biodiesel plants, Missouri Farmers Care and the Ag Education on the Move program.
The facility showcases soy-based building materials and demonstrates new uses for soybean, from soy-based counter tops, flooring and insulation to turf, asphalt sealant and a biodiesel-fueled heating system. The Center further serves as a hub for business development and incubation, as well as value-added agriculture.
Click here for photos of the Center for Soy Innovation.
“There’s no other facility like this bringing together education center and conference space with the Missouri-based research and commercialization work on environmentally friendly, soy-based products,” Alpers said. “We look forward to hosting school groups, hands-on trainings, workshops and events – better serving soybean farmers, and better connecting with people who might not have strong personal ties to agriculture.”
The Center’s grand opening celebration featured tours of the facility, and a group photo captured by drone – complete with a ribbon cutting thanks to the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce ambassadors. Soy doughnuts, a longtime tradition of the organization, were served, paired with milk courtesy of Midwest Dairy and Jefferson City’s Central Dairy.
Click here for photos of the grand opening celebration.
The events were hosted by Alpers and Missouri Soybean Association president Ronnie Russell of Richmond, and included congratulatory remarks from Missouri Governor Mike Parson, American Soybean Association CEO Ryan Findlay and the United Soybean Board’s Mace Thornton, vice president of communications and marketing. The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council’s immediate past-chairman, John Kelley of Faucett, asked a blessing on the project.
“Missouri Soybean has a foundation of farmers coming together to solve problems, from developing markets for beans to ensuring farmers’ freedom to operate,” Russell said. “This is both a celebration of that rich history and a huge step forward in growing our relationships with all who rely on soy – our mighty bean – through innovation, advocacy and education.”
The Center was built on land purchased by the Missouri Soybean Association to support the project. The nearly 5-acre tract in western Jefferson City was previously owned by the Stockman family, and has strong agricultural roots, having been the site of both a railroad spur and anhydrous plant.
Click here for a video highlighting the construction of the Center
The Missouri Soybean Association and Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council broke ground on the project in July 2018. The soybean organizations’ boards of directors and staff worked closely with Jefferson City-based The Architects Alliance to develop the building concept, design plans and scout locations.
The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council is a statewide, farmer-led organization working to improve opportunities for Missouri soybean farmers though a combination of research, outreach, education and market development efforts supported by the soy checkoff. The Missouri Soybean Association has been soybean growers’ voice on policy for more than 50 years. To learn more about Missouri’s soybean organizations and the Center for Soybean Innovation, explore mosoy.org.