Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council Directors Jim Willers, Keith Schrader, Cole Trebesch and Minnesota Soybean Director of Market Development Kim Nill attended the fifth annual High Oleic Congress in Montreal, Canada in early September.

The conference brought together industry professionals involved with various stages of the supply chains of all major high oleic oil seeds (sunflower, canola, and peanut in addition to soybeans). During his first-day presentation, United Soybean Board Director Bill Layton reported he has achieved very good yield per-acre for his high oleic soybeans, and is receiving an acceptable price premium. He is shifting to 100 percent high oleic soybeans on his farm as a result of that success.

During her second-day presentation, Dr. Maria Jose Martinez (INTA) reported that the peanut industry had recently increased the oleic content percent within the CODEX product identity standard (Codex stan 210) for high-oleic peanut oil. That new standard will facilitate increased demand for high oleic peanut oil around the world.

On their final day, the Minnesota Soybean team met with officials of the Montreal Port Authority, and toured the Port of Montreal. MSR&PC directors examined CanEx’s container-tilting machinery, which would allow 20-foot bulk cargo containers to be filled with high oleic soybeans “to the brim” before being loaded onto ships bound for Europe and other overseas locations. Because the CanEx facility is inside the Port Authority fence, it avoids the maximum road weight limits that would restrict such cargo containers if they were to be loaded at a rural Minnesota location.

“It was a very interesting conference with a lot of potentially good news about high oleic soybean oil,” says MSR&PC Vice Chair Cole Trebesch. “It was especially interesting to hear from a chef in New York City who uses high oleic oil at his four restaurants and really talked positively about his experiences using the oil.”

The Council has been developing its own high oleic soybean with breeders at the University of Minnesota. MSR&PC is targeting 2020 for commercialization of TruSoya® non-gmo high oleic soybeans. Read more about TruSoya in the July-August issue of Soybean Business Magazine.