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Soybean farmers customers reach beyond the elevatorOne of the U.S. Soybean Producer Attitudes Surveys conducted by the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff showed that 25 percent of soybean farmers still cited "the elevator" as their end customer, with another 10 percent being unsure or refusing to answer. In June 2010, the USB Communications Committee conducted another survey of U.S. soybean farmers examining their attitudes and knowledge about end-use customers and the importance of improving the quality of the soybeans they produce. The research results showed a general inability to name the biggest end users of U.S. soy. The survey also showed that if the farmers identified major U.S. soy end users, such as poultry and livestock farmers, they did not understand the full value of these end-use customers, either here in the United States or abroad, to the future of U.S. soybean farmer profitability. Poultry and livestock consume 98 percent of all U.S. soy meal. It remains vital to the success of U.S. soybean farmers and the rest of the U.S. soy industry to provide information on how animal production impacts soybean farmer profitability. USB will illustrate the importance of knowing U.S. soy customers with a new campaign encouraging U.S. soybean farmers to consider the needs of end users. The campaign consists of multiple components sharing information with U.S. soybean farmers in agricultural publications, on their favorite radio stations and on the Internet. Future efforts will focus on helping farmers meet customer demands, such as growing the quality of U.S. soybeans that their customers demand. To learn more about your top customers and thinking beyond the elevator, visit www.BeyondtheElevator.com. On this checkoff-funded website, you can watch a short video, view fast facts or test your knowledge about customers of U.S. soy.
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