As America’s cities, communities and consumers look for more environmentally friendly and sustainable products, the U.S. soybean industry is stepping up with solutions. Roads, buildings and fleets are switching to soy-biobased products. Even Goodyear tires now roll with soy. Manufacturers of both industrial and consumer products are using more soybean oil and meal to replace petroleum and other volatile or hazardous ingredients. U.S. soy can also increase product performance.

Now, a new White House Executive Order is adding more momentum for biobased products on the 20th Anniversary of the USDA BioPreferred Program. You can learn more during a free one-hour webinar, “Why biobased products are a hot topic for today,” on Sept. 30, where Agri-Pulse will look at the early stages of biobased products and how far they have advanced in terms of both on-farm and in-home use. 

“Innovations in agriculture have a history of being beneficial for both producers and consumers, and biobased products are another great example of that long history,” says Agri-Pulse Managing Editor Spencer Chase. “As much as we know about these products, there is still much to learn about where they came from, where they are now, and where the industry is going.” 

The webinar at 11 a.m. central time is sponsored by the United Soybean Board and the American Soybean Association. Speakers will explore soy-biobased products, their benefits to rural communities, major cities and more.

Speakers include:

Belinda Burrier is a farmer and this is her eighth year serving as a farmer-leader on the United Soybean Board (USB). She currently serves on USB’s Executive Committee and as Chair of the Communication and Education Committee. She was also elected the first female Chair of the Maryland Soybean Board in the fall of 2020. She grows commodity soybeans, high oleic soybeans, corn, wheat, alfalfa and hay with her husband, nephew and son-in-law on their farm in Union Bridge, Maryland. She also has a small livestock operation, where they finish six hogs and three steers every year. Burrier is currently in a transition stage and is mentoring the younger generation to take over certain areas of the operation. Her goal is to eventually retire, and she wants to ensure the next generation will succeed. Burrier and her husband David received ASA’s Northeast Region Conservation Legacy Award in 2018.

Karen Coble Edwards is founder of KCE Public Affairs Associates. The firm has served the United Soybean Board and the American Soybean Association for two decades. The KCE team focuses on driving demand and developing strategic partnerships for soy industrial uses, often connecting groups such as the American Lung Association and major cities’ sustainability initiatives to the work of U.S. soybean growers. Edwards has 25 years of experience working in international agricultural development and food security in Africa, Asia, Latin America and post-Soviet states. She currently serves as senior advisor to the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, a food security as well as agricultural trade-developing initiative. In addition, Karen serves on the board of directors of the Congressional Hunger Center and Transportation Energy Partners. 

Agri-Pulse Managing Editor Spencer Chase will serve as moderator for the event on Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. CT. Registration for the webinar is free.

Register here.