Soybean farmers in Clay and Wilkin counties are putting the rubber to the road to help local farmers in times of crisis – and promoting the diverse uses of soybeans at the same time.
The Clay-Wilkin Soybean & Corn Growers are showing their support toward Farm Rescue by supplying two of their fleet trucks with a new set of soy-based Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse HT tires as part of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council’s Driving Soy campaign.
“Farm Rescue racks up tons of miles helping hundreds of farm families all across the Midwest during times of need, so what better way to help them than to make sure they have a couple sets of tires of reliable soy-based Goodyear tires to get them to their next destination,” said Jeremy Tischer, president of the Clay-Wilkin County Soybean & Corn Growers and a director with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.
Farm Rescue is a nonprofit based in Horace, N.D., that provides planting, haying, harvesting, commodity hauling and livestock feeding assistance to farm and ranch families who have experienced a major injury, illness or natural disaster. Since its inception in 2005, Farm Rescue has helped more than 1,000 farm and ranch families in times of crisis.
“We are beyond grateful for these soy-based tires. Through this donation, it’s helping us get up and down the road helping farm families during difficult times,” said Farm Rescue Executive Director Tim Sullivan. “Thanks to the Clay-Wilkin Corn & Soybean Growers for thinking of us and we hope to continue our relationship in the future.”
For the county board, it’s important that local farmers support organizations like Farm Rescue should the need for help arise.
“Many farms in our area are on their fourth, fifth or even sixth generation, and Farm Rescue is there to help families ensure they have a crop in the ground or the bin during times of crisis and can pass the farm on to the next generation,” said Tischer, who farms in Breckenridge. “Farm Rescue supports farmers, and these soy-based tires support farmers as well. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Since 2017, Goodyear, supported by United Soybean Board checkoff investments, has released eight lines of tires with soybean oil compounds: Assurance WeatherReady, Eagle Enforcer All Weather, Wrangler Workhorse HT, Eagle Exhilarate, Endurance WHA, Metro Miller and Assurance Comfort Drive. The Akron, Ohio-based company has increased its use of soybeans by 73% since 2018 and pledged to fully replace all its petroleum-driven oils with soybean oil by 2040. Since the Driving Soy campaign hit the road in 2021, county boards throughout Minnesota have donated soy-based tires to law enforcement departments and nonprofit organizations.
The Clay-Wilkin County Corn and Soybean Growers Association is affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff dollars on behalf of the nearly 28,000 soybean farmers in Minnesota. The Council is governed by the rules of a federally mandated checkoff program that requires all soybean producers pay a fee on the soybeans they sell. This money is used to promote, educate and develop market opportunities for soybeans.
