Across local fire departments, state agencies and rural communities, SoyFoam’s feel-good story is spreading throughout Minnesota.  

In spring 2025, the farmer-led Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) launched the soy checkoff-supported SoyFoam campaign, “Planting to Protect: From Farm to Flame.” The Council is offering more than 40 organized soybean counties in Minnesota the opportunity to donate SoyFoam to area fire departments, and the Rock County Corn & Soybean Growers are getting in on the action by donating SoyFoam pails to the fire departments in Luverne, Hills, Hardwick, Jasper and Kenneth.  

“The department was excited to receive the product and discussed how much safer it was compared to the existing foam they use. It will also allow them to train with the foam, as the requirements with the other foam products made it difficult to plan training events,” said Lucas Peters, Rock County Corn & Soybean Board treasurer and a director with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. “These donations help support our local firefighters with safer, more effective tools and promote a new use for soybeans.”   

Made with soy flour, SoyFoam is the first and only Greenscreen Certified Gold Fire Foam with zero intentionally added PFAS, aka forever chemicals. Firefighters have a nearly 10% higher chance of a cancer diagnosis, and cancer is the No. 1 cause of death among firefighters. Cross Plains Solutions, the developer of SoyFoam, has partnered with the soy checkoff to continue testing and promoting the product as a safer alternative to traditional firefighting foam.  

“For our soybean farmers, your checkoff investment is helping out the environment and the firefighters who use it,” said Council Director and past Chair Tom Frisch, who has served on the Dumont Fire Department since 2000. “It’s a checkoff investment that is coming to fruition and helping build demand. For our firefighters, rural, city or anywhere in Minnesota, providing a PFAS-free alternative is our goal. For the public in general, homegrown, renewable products benefit all of us.” 

SoyFoam is compatible with existing foam inductors and aerating nozzles and is comparable in cost to traditional firefighting foam. With a shelf life of 10 years, SoyFoam can be frozen, heated and thawed and will still be fully functional. SoyFoam is also projected to increase demand for U.S. soy by using protein from 12 million bushels of U.S. soybeans. 

For more information on the “Planting to Protect: From Farm to Flame” campaign, visit mnsoybean.org/soyfoam.  

About the Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers 

The Rock County Corn & Soybean Growers Board is affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, a 15-person, farmer-led board that oversees the investment of checkoff dollars on behalf of the state’s nearly 26,000 soybean farmers. The Council is governed by the rules of a federally mandated checkoff program requiring all soybean producers to pay a fee on the soybeans they sell. This money is used to promote, educate and develop market opportunities for soybeans.