Missouri Soybean farmers utilized their stories to connect with farmers, industry professionals and businesses in Europe.
The global appetite for soy is growing. To curb the hunger, eight farmer-leaders took the U.S. operational experience to Europe — soybeans’ second largest marketplace.
Europe is a valuable partner for U.S. agriculture, as collectively they are the No. 2 buyer of soybeans and soybean meal valued at $2 billion per year. In 2020-2021, the European Union (EU) increased soybean production by 3% to 175 million bushels a year, a fraction of the 1.2 billion bushels imported every year. Per capita soy consumption globally grew to 5.88 pounds per person in 2020 compared to 4.76 pounds in 2010 with Asia, Latin America and Western Europe being the top markets.
To navigate this growing agricultural landscape, Missouri Soybeans carried out an eight-day trade mission to Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany to understand their farmers and related industries.
“Anticipating market needs and carrying out our organization’s strategic vision of enhancing soy are critical pieces of why this trade mission was important and impactful,” said Aaron Porter, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) chairman. “With Europe being a mature market for the U.S., it was imminent that we put boots on the ground to discuss impending issues and opportunities.”
Restricting Regulations
As part of its leadership program, Missouri Soybeans met with several government officials to understand and assess the impact of legislation on European farmers and how they overcome strict regulatory requirements.
“These types of missions are important to understand policies and future trends as they can have a direct impact on U.S. soy exports,” said Gary Wheeler, Missouri Soybeans CEO and executive director. “In the case of the EU, its regulatory approach to food safety, sustainability and climate change often serves as a model for other countries to follow, representing possible impacts for U.S. soy in other parts of the world.”
To be proactive in understanding the potential impacts of these polarizing policies, the mission explored consumer mindsets and the prevailing forces under the European Commission’s Green Deal. Farmers learned the green agenda has a major stake in environmental and food production trends and can affect future exports.
“We have so many regulatory issues coming at us in the United States, and it’s important for us to see the comparisons to assist us in market development,” said Porter. “As we work to meet or confront those regulatory requirements, I think it’s important to take a proactive approach and keep an eye on those policies if they migrated to the U.S.”
The Missouri Soybeans team also learned about the Farm to Fork Strategies and the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which will continue the EU’s regulatory approach toward reduced access to inputs while trying to increase carbon capture, organic production and imports without the utilization of GMOs, genome editing and other tools that enable farmers to produce more with less.
“A large part of why we went to Europe is to see what we were up against in terms of GM acceptance,” said Wheeler. “It was truly eye-opening to see how relevant that conversation was with European farmers and the stresses put on their freedom to operate due to lack of technology.”
Modern tools and practices such climate-smart agriculture, bio- technology, moisture sensors, smart irrigation, autonomous and GPS-enabled tractors, drones and satellite imagery help U.S. soy growers produce more soy from the same amount of land, even as they reduce the use of natural resources. As land accessibility diminishes and sustainability goals increase, European farmers will become more and more interested in the practices and innovations used by U.S. producers.
Missouri farmers heard examples of inherent inconsistencies in the European approach and the gap between its aspirational goals and realities, given the new concerns about food security and affordability around the world. One example was the recently adopted Deforestation Regulation, which was mentioned by several speakers as legislation that was driven by political goals and subject to questions regarding its practical implementation and impact.
One of the largest issues Europe is addressing is climate change. Specifically, Ireland is seeing far more rain, and the country needs access to seed chemistry to help with that agricultural landscape. However, the trajectory of the policy in the UK is to reduce pesticide and fertilizer by 50%, as well as organic production by 2040. While farmers in Europe are accepting of reducing climate change, these policies are hard to deliver upon and remain operational.
In the same breath, U.S. soy and Europe share a lot of the same commitments to sustainability. Between 1997 and 2017, U.S. forestland in- creased by more than 1.8 million acres while cropland decreased by 8.9 million acres. U.S. soy has the lowest carbon footprint, including land use change, compared with soy of other origins, plant proteins and vegetable oils.
As Europe evolves deforestation-free regulation for food and agricultural products, choosing U.S. soy helps advance sustainability and the marketplace.
Moving the Market
One of the biggest investments of checkoff dollars is in international trade and market development. This inaugural mission allowed Missouri farmers to gain a global perspective along with their peers and assist them with program investment decisions in the future for the benefit of all farmers.
“There is a lot of valuable checkoff sell back from these trips,” said Matt Amick, Missouri Soybeans director of market development. “These trade missions, along with many other projects, drive the value of and demand for the Missouri soybean. We can’t become complacent in the fast-changing market, and the checkoff allows us to determine demand drivers.”
During the trip, the Missouri delegation visited the following buyers and partners: the Irish Food Safety Authority; Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Irish Environmental Protection Agency; Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association; Ulster Farmers’ Union; Ireland College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise; U.K. Food Standards Agency; U.K. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; U.K. National Farmers’ Union; Agricultural Industries Confederation; U.S. Embassy to the U.K.; ADM and many others. 
“We gained a better understanding of how the EU and UK policies differ and the opportunities and challenges associated with each market,” said Porter. “We also learned what markets are crucial to customers in Europe. For example, in Ireland and Northern Ireland, there is a tremendous demand that exists for protein in dairy that far outpaces the supply of that protein. This is a prime opportunity for U.S. soy to make gains in that market.”
Roundtable discussions brought forth emerging opportunities to expand the demand for soy in the U.S. and Europe.
“There is a projected overall increase in demand on the continent, both in food and fuel, which serves soy and has the potential to benefit all Missouri soybean farmers,” says Porter. “One of the biggest takeaways for me was just how making that contact and building those relationships can impact Missouri soybean farmers in an indirect and direct way, building demand for the sustainable products we produce.”
Additionally, farmers set foot on a variety of farm operations including a regenerative operation, a Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) landscape, a soybean farm and other fields.
“When U.S. farmers can see firsthand how their European counterparts do business, it can have impacts back home through the farmgate” said Wheeler. “Missouri Soybeans is making decisions on an annual basis using the farmers’ dollar, and we need to be able to make informed decisions on what the farmers need today and 10 years from now.”
To do that, the team exchanged experiences on both sides of the Atlantic and agreed to potential prosperous partnerships valuable to the farmers’ bottom line.
Farmer–to–Farmer Learning
Providing training and education to people in various countries is a trademark of the soybean checkoff. In addition to boosting food quality and quantity, outreach and networking create more demand for U.S. soybeans.
“We have a wonderful relationship with the UK and EU, and we want to continue building that rapport,” said Wheeler. “In order to do that, you have to visit these folks face to face to sustain and grow the soybean sector.”
One of the first farms the farmer-directors set foot on was a diversified operation owned by Ireland farmer, Tom Tierney.
“It’s farmer-to-farmer learning where I get to share my own experiences on my operation,” said Tom Tierney, a farmer in Kildare, Ireland. “We face the very same issues as the farmers in Missouri would face, so I would like to forge those links and battle the problem head-on.”
Tierney operates a tillage farm, which allowed the group of farmers to compare grain production overseas to their own operations. The farm tour afforded an invaluable exchange regarding respective regulatory burdens placed on the farm and discussions on subsidies and crop insurance.
“There is nothing like seeing it for yourself,” said Matt Wright, Missouri Soybean Associa- tion (MSA) president. “At the end of the day, we are all farmers, but there are different approaches and things we can learn from each other. Trade missions provide context to a country. The political environment gives rise to a different take on the same issue.”
Farmers who met during this mission often shared Missouri Soybeans’ views and expressed frustration about the soybean supply chain, as well as the affordability of inputs. At each stop, the farmer-leaders took longer and longer to linger in the field and ask pertinent questions. The casual conversations allowed for an exploratory experience to climb onto equipment, test out the technology and scout the fields.
“It was wonderful seeing the farmers visiting back and forth with other farmers, discussing the issues at hand,” said Wheeler. “We are more alike than what divides us. It might be a different topography, but the passion for living on the land and raising great products and a great family unites farmers worldwide.”
The smiles, laughs and handshakes made the trade mission worth the experience for Missouri’s soybean farmers. To trade industry insights, business cards, ideas, farming practices and so much more was invaluable to the farmers on European soil and in the Show-Me State.
“I’ve said repeatedly the goal of this trip was threefold — policymaker and customer education, market expansion and leadership development — and I think our farmers knocked it out of the park,” said Wheeler. “These meaningful missions are about relationships and maintaining the market, and I rest assured knowing the impacts of this international trip will be seen for years to come.”
To find out more about Missouri Soybeans’ trade mission, visit mosoy.org.
