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The American Soybean
Association is "your advocate" in Washington, and is powered by the
grassroots support of 22,000 members and 25 state affiliates.
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Headlines
For Thursday, June 4, 2009
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Applicants
Being Sought For 2010 ASA/DuPont Young Leader Program
Workshop Planned To Discuss Contract Design In Futures Markets
Census Of Agriculture Data Now Available At Watershed Level
New 2009 Leadership For The Soyfoods Association
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WASHINGTON UPDATE
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ASA Submits
Soybean Research Priorities To USDA
ASA Opposes Administration's Proposed Cuts In Ag Budget
ASA Weighs In On Conservation Cuts
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INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
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U.S. Soy Export Week Registration Open
UES Submission Marks Major Step Toward Finalized Strategy For 2010
ASA-IM Taiwan Improves Sales Skills
Of Crushing Company Employees
ASA-IM SEA Expands Soy Usage In
Indonesian Bakery Industry
Soy-Based Fish Feed Industry Continues Rapid Growth In India
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This week on the Soy Radio Newsline listen
to comments from ASA Board member Dennis Jaeger as he talks about his
recent trip to Colombia
and Panama
to learn more about the pending Free Trade Agreements with those
countries. This report may be heard
on SoyGrowers.com.
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AT-A-
GLANCE
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CBOT Futures
06/03/09
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FAS
Worldwide Weekly Sales Report as of 05/28/09
(1000 Metric Tons | Million Bushels or Pounds)
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Settle
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Net Change
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This Week
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Year Ago
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% Change
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SoyBeans
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(09July) 1182.0
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-270
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29,293.4
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1,076.2
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26,423.6
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9708
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+109
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SoyMeal
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(09July) 379.5
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-8.0
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4,863.1
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10,699
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5,306.5
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11,674
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-8.4
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SoyOil
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(09July) 39.25
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-1.25
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5425
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1,194
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8706
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1,915
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-377
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Applicants Being Sought For
2010 ASA/DuPont Young Leader Program The
American Soybean Association (ASA) and Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont
Business, are seeking applicants for the 2010 Young Leader Program. The Young
Leader Program is recognized throughout agriculture for its longstanding
tradition of identifying and cultivating the producer leaders who are
shaping the U.S.
soybean industry. "The Young Leader Program is an exceptional
leadership training program," said ASA President Johnny Dodson. "ASA and Pioneer
are committed to developing the next generation of leaders for the
soybean industry. As a graduate of this leadership program, I can
personally tell you that the Young Leader program opens up a lot of opportunities
for you." The 2010 class of Young Leaders and their spouses will
participate in a challenging and educational leadership experience Dec.
6-9, 2009, at Pioneer headquarters in Johnston,
Iowa, and then complete training March
2-6, 2010, in Anaheim,
Calif., in conjunction with
the annual Commodity Classic. This seminar offers the opportunity for
participants to enhance their leadership skills, as well as meet and
learn from other Young Leaders from around the U.S.
and Canada.
Application forms for the 2010 Young Leader Program, sponsored by Pioneer
Hi-Bred, have been mailed to all ASA members. Applicants may apply online
at www.SoyGrowers.com/dyl, or call (800) 688-7692 to
obtain an application form. Soybean producers are encouraged to apply or
nominate another producer. All applications and nominations should be
returned to ASA by Aug. 31, 2009. One couple or individual will be
selected from each of ASA's state affiliates. For more information,
contact ASA Corporate Development Manager Michelle Siegel at msiegel@soy.org or (314)
754-1328.
Workshop Planned To Discuss Contract Design In
Futures Markets The Commodity Futures
Trading Commission (CFTC), U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic
Research Service (ERS) and the Farm Foundation will hold a joint workshop
on Contract Design in Futures Markets June 9-10. The workshop, which will
be chaired by Sarahelen Thompson, Director of Market and
Trade Economics Division of the ERS and Jeffrey
Harris, Chief Economist of the CFTC, will provide a forum to
discuss critical issues and market conditions that affect the design and
performance of commodity futures contracts. The workshop will bring
together leading academics and practitioners working on contract design
issues to present their research papers to discuss issues in a moderated
panel discussion. For more information, visit www.cftc.gov.
Census Of Agriculture Data Now Available At Watershed
Level For the first time, results
from the Census of Agriculture have been published at the watershed level
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS). "The new watershed publication presents
agricultural data that conforms to geographic boundaries, rather than
state and country boundaries," said Carol House, NASS deputy administrator for programs and
products. In the new publication, NASS reports selected data from the
2007 Census of Agriculture according to watershed boundaries set by the
U.S. Geological Survey. The information is available for all 20 major
water sources in the U.S.,
as well as for each of the 376 water basins. Information from the 2002
Census of Agriculture is published alongside the 2007 Census results to
demonstrate changes in land use, production practices and livestock
distribution over the past five years. The Census of Agriculture is a
complete count of the nation's farms and ranches and the people who
operate them. It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive
agricultural data for every state, county and now water basin in the
nation. For more information about the Census of Agriculture and to
access the watershed publication, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov
or call (800) 727-9540.
New 2009 Leadership For The Soyfoods
Association The Soyfoods Association of
North America's (SANA) new
leadership promises to continue SANA's
objectives to increase consumer awareness and use of soyfoods. Mohamed Obanni, Senior Director of
Research and Development and Quality Assurance of Hain-Celestial Group,
assumed the role of SANA President in May, with Aaron Skyberg of SK Food
International, serving as SANA Vice President for the 2009-2010 term. According
to "Soyfoods: The U.S. Market 2009," a report released by
Soyatech, LLC and SPINS, retail sales of soyfoods products have surpassed
$4 billion - an all time high for the industry. With an increase in
sales, the new leadership of SANA
will have many opportunities for innovation to further enable the
industry to grow. Obanni and Skyberg both stress the need to establish,
promote and adopt industry standards for soyfoods, especially with
international soyfood organizations, as well as with growers, producers
and suppliers. Additionally, SANA
says it needs to continue the focus on the acceptance of soyfoods by
various State and Federal Agencies. Specifically, Obanni intends to
"remove the existing barriers preventing the offering of
soyfoods" in federal nutrition programs. Obanni plans to continue
making SANA
a major disseminator of scientific-based information on soyfoods to
consumers, media and health professionals through its website, www.soyfoods.org.
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ASA Submits Soybean Research
Priorities To USDA American
Soybean Association (ASA) President Johnny
Dodson has provided comments
on behalf of ASA for the development of a roadmap for agricultural
research being prepared by the Research, Education and Extension Office
(REEO) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The preparation of
the roadmap was mandated in the 2008 Farm Bill. Questions posed by REEO
focused on critical issues facing agriculture that no USDA entity can
address individually, and how USDA should prioritize agricultural science
investments and coordinate successfully "The overarching research
priority for the U.S. soybean industry is to translate the data generated
from sequencing the soybean genome...into even more efficient production
of an even higher quality crop for the good of the environment, the U.S.
economy, human health globally, animal production - and for U.S.
farmers," the comments state. In response to a question about where
agricultural sciences are not coordinated effectively, ASA's
comments focus on aquaculture research. "Approximately $100 million
is spent by federal agencies annually on ‘aquaculture
research.' Nevertheless, progress toward developing alternatives to
fishmeal in aquaculture diets has been inefficient and
expensive…there is not yet a process for identifying how to
coordinate research resources within USDA or across agency boundaries."
Read the full text of ASA's
comments to REEO.
ASA Opposes Administration's Proposed
Cuts In Ag Budget The American
Soybean Association (ASA) joined other farm organizations in a letter to
the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee opposing the cuts in
agriculture-related programs in the Administration's budget
proposal for FY-2010. The letter specifically objects to the proposal to
means test farm payments by restricting eligibility to producers with
less than $500,000 in annual income from agricultural sales. It also
opposes the Administration's recommendation to cap total farm
payments at $250,000 per producer, effectively capping Marketing Loan
Gains and Loan Deficiency Payments at $105,000 per year. Also highlighted
are concerns with the proposed 20 percent cut in the $200 million budget
for the Market Access Program, which is used to support soybean and
livestock product exports. ASA had expressed similar objections when the
President's Budget was released in February. The Congressional
Budget Committees did not include any of the Administration's
proposals in the Congressional Budget Resolution approved in April.
However, the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees must still find
ways to reduce spending to meet the savings required by the Resolution.
ASA also expressed opposition to budget cuts to conservation programs
(see story below for more information)
ASA Weighs In On Conservation Cuts The
American Soybean Association (ASA) and a coalition of 50 farm, forestry,
conservation and environmental groups have written to members of the
House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees in opposition
to proposed cuts to agricultural conservation programs. President Barack Obama's FY-2010 budget
proposes cuts of over $500 million, plus additional long-term cuts. Among
those proposed are $250 million to the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program and $30 million to the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.
"We are disappointed that President Obama's budget continues
the unfortunate pattern of proposing cuts to conservation programs below
mandatory levels established in the farm bill," the letter states.
"Demand for participation in conservation programs routinely far
outstrips available funding, and this proposal will only exacerbate that
problem, as well as undermine conservation practice adoption
on-the-ground." The House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee
is expected to mark up its bill next week.
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U.S. Soy Export Week Registration Open Registration
for 2009 U.S. Soy Export Week is now open. The 2009 week celebrates
soy's status as agriculture's "export all-star,"
valued at over $13 billion annually. This year's event, which runs
from Aug. 2-6, in St. Louis,
includes the American Soybean Association International Marketing
Strategic Planning Meeting and the U.S. Soybean Export Council's
(USSEC) Annual Meeting. Take the opportunity to meet with U.S. soy
export industry leaders and also USSEC's overseas staff to discuss
programs specific to your interest. Additionally, participants can attend
a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game and participate in the USSEC Homerun
Derby. To register, visit www.ussec.org/news/events/export_wk.php.
UES Submission Marks Major Step Toward
Finalized Strategy For 2010 The U.S.
Soybean Export Council (USSEC) submitted the 2010 Unified Export Strategy
(UES) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS) for approval last week. The document requests funding from FAS
programs, including the Foreign Market Development Program, Market Access
Program, Quality Samples Program and Emerging Market Program. The UES
also encompasses all checkoff projects that USSEC intends to carry out in
2010 and requests funding totaling $38 million. USSEC Board member Danny Murphy explained that the Board
"reviewed the proposals to ensure that our expenditures will bring
farmers the best possible return on our checkoff and tax dollar
investments."
ASA-IM Taiwan Improves Sales Skills Of Crushing
Company Employees As part
of its preferred customer program, American Soybean Association
International Marketing (ASA-IM) Taiwan conducted a training camp for 87
executives, sales teams, purchasing specialists and manufacturing staff
from 10 Taiwanese crushing companies The camp, designed to enhance
participants' sales and marketing skills, included session
communications, modern marketing concepts, business practices and an
overview of soybean market trends. Instructors guided campers through
role playing activities that allowed players to practice the concepts
introduced. The camp also provided industry members with a forum to
exchange ideas and share their experiences. In doing so, the activity
strengthened ties within the trade.
ASA-IM SEA Expands
Soy Usage In Indonesian Bakery Industry American
Soybean Association International Marketing Southeast Asia (ASA-IM SEA)
Bakery Consultant Chachaya
Raktakanishta conducted a soy ingredients bakery workshop for
Carrefour Indonesia
and the Indonesian Bakery Association (IBA). The programs included
participants from a bakery team from Carrefour Indonesia and from the 25
members of IBA. Raktakanishta demonstrated use of defatted soy flour and
a soy-based egg substitute in a variety of products and formulations,
including bread, pastries, cakes and biscuits. Participants learned to
adapt formulations to suit the local production environment and consumer
preference. Following the program, Carrefour management plans to
introduce a new soy-incorporated sandwich loaf and sponge cake and is
evaluating soy incorporation in several other potential products.
Similarly, several IBA members will be developing their own product lines
with soy. ASA-IM SEA continues to work with key supermarket retail
chains, such as Carrefour, to expand soy usage in the bakery industry and
to develop a regional cadre of bakery trainers, such as Raktakanishta,
who has implemented successful ASA-IM bakery training programs in both Thailand and Indonesia.
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Soy-Based Fish Feed
Industry Continues Rapid Growth In India
This month, two extrusion feed mills
producing soy-based fish feed will commence operations in India.
A third facility will begin production later this year. To support the
recent growth of the fledgling extrusion industry in India,
American Soybean Association International Marketing (ASA-IM) organized
a "Feed Mill Technology Support" program that provides the
new businesses with access to aquaculture experts. ASA-IM staff helped
feed millers improve efficiency, produce well-formulated feeds and
maximize space in each facility. Along with other industry support
activities, the feed mill technology support programs advances
ASA-IM's goal of tapping the potential for soy usage in the
Indian aquaculture industry. The new feed mills, Ananda Feeds and
Kwality Feeds, are situated in India's fish
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farming hub and can process five metric tons of soy-based fish
feeds per hour. The third feed mill will be able to produce meal at twice
that rate. Together, these plants will have a production capacity of
100,000 metric tons of feed annually, with soy inclusion rates of 35-40
percent.
ASA-IM Consultant Mark Newman
provides technical support that will help the new feed producers prosper
in India's
growing soy-based aquaculture industry. (ASA-IM
photo)
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ASA, 12125
Woodcrest Executive Dr., Ste. 100, St.
Louis, MO 63141-5009 Phone: 800/688-7692
President Johnny
Dodson 731/286-2268 - First Vice President Rob Joslin 937/492-8440
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