A soybean’s life doesn’t end when the truck leaves the field and is sold at the elevator. In fact, the little bean’s worldwide adventure is just beginning. Pretty soon, those soybeans are transformed into oil and incorporated into everyday products that you can fuel your vehicle with, wear on your feet or even use to clean your house. With endless uses, soybeans have more than earned their sterling and sustainable reputation as “the miracle bean.” Throughout the years, Minnesota Soybean has played an integral role in advocating lawmakers and promoting the benefits of soy-based products through checkoff investments.
Below are just some of the more than 1,000 available products that the checkoff has brought to the marketplace, helping to increase farmer profitability while reducing dependency on petroleum.
1 – Biodiesel
After Minnesota Soybean celebrated two decades of the state’s biodiesel law, there is no denying soybean oil’s impact on consumers. As a clean-burning fuel, biodiesel boasts big environmental benefits; Minnesota’s B20 requirement during the summer months results in carbon dioxide emission reductions equal to removing nearly a quarter-million vehicles from Minnesota roads. The benefits of biodiesel extend beyond environmental – a recent study published by Clean Fuels Alliance America shows that U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel production help decrease diesel fuel prices. The first state with a minimum biodiesel blending requirement, Minnesota ranks 10th in biodiesel production and accounts for 13% of the value of Minnesota soybeans, adding more than $1 to every bushel of soybeans. Biodiesel is the solution everyone’s been looking for.
It’s cleaner, better and just a fuel pump away.
2 – Road Sealants
Most Minnesotans have been victim to potholes, grimacing when they bottom out their suspension on a particularly unpleasant rut. Luckily, soy-based road sealants are the answers that bring us one step closer to a life without potholes. RePlay, BioRestor and Colorbiotics are soy-based solutions designed for asphalt surfaces, while products such as PoreShield are designed for concrete.
Research shows that RePlay applications outperform chip-seal applications, extending the roads’ lifespan by up to 11 years. RePlay sealed the deal in summer 2022 when it was applied to three miles of County Road 14 in Becker County.
3 – Goodyear Tires
With Minnesota’s unpredictable weather, reliable tires are important to safely travel from one destination to the next. Acting upon their pledge to eliminate their use of petroleum-based oils by 2040 (the company also intends to produce the first 100% sustainable tire by 2030), Goodyear offers a growing selection of durable tires made with soybean oil. Replacing the petroleum oil with soybean oil improves tire flexibility at low temperatures, enhancing traction in rain and snow – which Minnesotans. have plenty of experience with. In 2022, a year after Minnesota Soybean’s Driving Soy promotion, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz placed a set of soy-based Goodyear Tires on his official government vehicle.
4 – Footwear
You can never have enough shoes, right? Now, you can strut around town wearing soy-based shoes. Collaborating with Goodyear, Skechers uses Goodyear’s soy rubber technology to improve the durability and traction of the outsoles on their soy-based models carrying the label “Goodyear Performance Outsoles.” Another footwear company, Okabashi, produces sandals that are made with biobased material, of which approximately 40% is U.S.-grown soy.
“Soy-based solutions are now helping to deliver sustainable, innovative fashion, expanding the possibilities of agriculture well beyond food and feed,” United Soybean Board (USB) CEO Polly Ruhland said.
5 – Cleaning Products
Like clockwork, spring is upon us, which means spring cleaning is in full force. This year, make household chores more exciting by using soy-based cleaning products. A division of Natural Soy Products, The Clean Environment Company offers cleaning products that are non-toxic and biodegradable and use both soybeans and corn. From the kitchen to the bathroom to the bedroom, Natural Soy Products have everything you need to refresh your home after a long winter. You can even get ready for backyard grill outs by purchasing Natural Soy Products’ soy-based BBQ grill cleaner at natsoy.com.
6 – PureBond Hardwood Plywood
A leader in responsible forestry products, Columbia Forest Products has delivered a hardwood plywood made with soy-based technology. PureBond Hardwood Plywood is made without added formaldehyde adhesives, instead opting for soy-based assembly technology. What makes this product even more exciting is that it’s made in North America and is cost-competitive with most decorative veneer-core hardwood plywood. If you’re looking to spruce up your cabinetry, look no further than PureBond. Products can be purchased at purebondplywood.com.
7 – Low Mu Tech
Using soy protein and commercialized through soy checkoff resources, Low Mu Tech DUST product acts as a replacement to talc and graphite and acts as a cleaner, safer seed flow lubricant. Dust is food-grade manufactured and. contains no insecticides and carcinogens, posing no risk to human health or the environment. Low-Mu Tech is owned and operated by a group of farmers across generations. Farmers benefit from Low Mu Tech’s alliance with USB, which provided checkoff funding for the. research and commercialization of this innovation. To find a local dealer, visit lowmutech.com.
8 – Roof Maxx
Since 2018, checkoff investments and soybean oil have been instrumental in rejuvenating roofs across the United States, helping grow the Roof Maxx business to more than 600 locations in just two years. Roof Maxx is the world’s first roof rejuvenation spray treatment and first sustainable roofing solution, which can save property owners over 80% on roof replacement costs. In Minnesota, a Roof Maxx application could extend the life of the roof by up to 12 years. Roof Maxx currently has locations in Grand Rapids, Jackson and St. Cloud. To learn more about the soybean checkoff investments in Roof Maxx and to find a dealer, visit the Roof Maxx website or by calling 1-855-RoofMaxx.
10 – Blue Bear Soy Gel Paint and Urethane Stripper
Looking to tackle a DIY project? Blue Bear Soy Gel Paint & Urethane Stripper is a consumer-trusted remover that effectively removes multiple layers of paint, varnish, enamel, urethane, other single-component coatings and lead-based paint. Blue Bear So Gel is non-caustic, biodegradable and contains no toxic fumes, making it ideal for lead-based paint removal. It can be used indoors and outdoors – even in the winter. Best of all, this product is made with 100% American soybeans! Prices start at just $25 per quart at franmar.com.
9 – SYNLawn
From rooftops to airports to road medians and rocket-launch viewing sites, SYNLawn keeps us walking on soy. Since 2008, the company has installed 82 million square feet of U.S. soy-backed grass across 200,000 installations in the United States and 19 other countries. Thanks to checkoff investments, North America’s largest manufacturer of artificial grass plans to add more soy than ever to its products and will increase its use of U.S. soy by 10%. At the 2023 Commodity Classic, USB displayed SYNLawn in its booth.
SYNLawn artificial grass is made with EnviroLoc Plus Backing System, an exclusive soy-based backing with an enhanced multi-layer component system with durable turf fibers, extending a product’s life cycle. EnviroLoc Plus uses soy-based polyol technology developed with checkoff support. Soybean oil displaces an estimated 60 percent of the petroleum-based polyurethane in EnviroLoc Plus.
Soy much impact
According to a USDA Rural Development study, biobased products in the U.S.:
• Support 4.6 million American jobs through direct, indirect and induced contributions
• Contribute $470 billion to the U.S. economy
• Generate 2.79 jobs in other sectors for every biobased job
• Displace about 9.4 million barrels of oil a year
To learn more about how checkoff investments lead to commercialization, visit SoyNewUses.org and SoyBiobased.org.