Soo-eee! Soo-eee! Soo-eee! 

The dinner bell has sounded, and Minnesota-grown soy is on the menu. 

In April 2026, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) released export numbers emphasizing pork’s prominent role in Minnesota soybean demand, noting that pork exports accounted for 8.6 million bushels of Minnesota soybean usage in 2025. 

“To get to market weight, every pig consumes about 675 pounds of feed and, of that, about 150 pounds is soybean meal,” said Rochelle Krusemark, who farms near Sherburn and represents the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) on USMEF. “Minnesota produces nearly 17 million pigs a year, so if you do the math, that’s a lot of soybean meal.”  

A nonprofit trade association that works to create new opportunities and develop existing international markets for U.S. beef, pork and lamb, USMEF is a collaboration of nine distinct segments of American agriculture, joining together to implement successful marketing programs for U.S. meat around the world. In 2025, the market value of U.S. pork exports to soybeans was 98.76 million bushels for $1 billion market value, making MSR&PC’s longstanding checkoff support of USMEF a no-brainer. 

“The soybean industry provides critical support for USMEF’s efforts to expand global demand for U.S. pork,” said USMEF Senior Vice President of Industry Relations John Hinners. “This study helps quantify the return on that investment.” 

Pork exports bring home the bacon for Minnesota soybean growers. Last year, pork exports contributed 10.3 percent of bushel value, equating to $1.05, based on the $10.17 average per bushel price. 29.6 percent of U.S. pork and pork variety meat production was exported in 2025, highlighting the critical role USMEF plays in the pork industry.  

“It’s important for the soybean checkoff to continue funding feed and meat quality trials because soybean meal is the primary source of essential amino acids,” Krusemark said. “In order to keep a healthy pig and maintain a good growth rate, pigs, just like people, need a balanced diet.” 

Minnesota has more than 3,000 pig farms, ranking the state as second in the number of pigs raised in the U.S. Many soybean farmers are also pig farmers, making the partnership between USMEF and MSR&PC a key ingredient in the state’s ag economy. 

Krusemark, who farms in Martin County, one of the nation’s top pork-producing counties, says growing demand for Minnesota soybeans continues to be top of mind for both USMEF and MSR&PC.  

“We’re (USMEF) doing a better job of collaborating and securing more exports,” Krusemark said. “That’s great news for soybean farmers and livestock producers.”