From El Salvador to Singapore, this year’s Northern Crops Institute’s (NCI) INTSOY short course spanned the globe, bringing in more participants from more countries than ever before.
Supported by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) and the soy checkoff, INTSOY is a foundation course that provides an overview of many aspects of the soybean industry. This year’s offering was held Aug. 12-16 with the first two days based out of NCI’s Complex in Fargo, followed by three days traveling though South Dakota and Minnesota for farm visits, industry tours and further education.
The participants in the short course were mostly trade team members from the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) who are looking to incorporate soy, specifically U.S. soy, into their processing. The groups arrived from Southeast Asia, North Africa and Central America.
“We really value the courses that NCI puts on, specifically as it pertains to the needs of our strategic partners,” said WISHH Program Coordinator for Special Projects Leila Payer. “INTSOY does a great job on not only giving a great overview of the U.S. soy industry, but also the many uses for soy as far as food and feed.”
According to Payer, many of the WISHH trade team participants are either looking to expand into soy for the first time or looking to continue research and development for different uses for soy. This particular group primarily works in oilseed processing or the human food and beverage industry.
Soy checkoff support was crucial in bringing together stakeholders.
“A special shout out to the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council,” Payer said. “Their support of WISHH is actually helping sponsor our attendees from Africa and Asia.”
No longer constrained with space issues, NCI was able to host their largest short course class with 40 participants from nearly 20 different countries – thanks to their spacious new digs at the Peltier Complex. Along with more room, the new facility provided enhanced learning opportunities thanks to dedicated tasting rooms and soy food laboratories.
“The sessions we did in the new instructional labs would not have been possible previously with the amount of participants we had this year. It also provided a better environment with less noise and distractions,” said NCI Program Manager and Co-Interim Director Casey Peterson. “Also, just having an actual lunchroom instead of a lobby, like we used to eat in before, makes a world of difference.”
Pride in farming
Rural Minnesota – the heart of soybean country – looks quite a bit different than countries across the ocean, where roughly 54 million metric tons of U.S. soy eventually land.
With thousands of miles between the producer and end consumer, MSR&PC prioritizes building relationships with international customers. On Aug. 13, Lincoln County Corn & Soybean Growers Chair Matt Schreurs hosted a group of 40 soy industry stakeholders from 18 different countries on his farm as part of NCI’s INTSOY course.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I think it went quite well,” said Schreurs, who grows roughly 2,500 acres of soybeans and corn near Arco. “It was nice to see the faces of some of the people that are buying our products and to be able to answer some of the questions of curiosity.”
One participant, Gladys Rwagatore, marveled at the scope of the farm and equipment compared to Africa, where her father-in-law farmed roughly 24 acres.
“It’s really big,” said Rwagatore, who lives in Burundi and works in product utilization for Totahara. “I was kind of expecting it because of the numbers I heard, but actually seeing it is just a different experience.”
Technological advances in agriculture play an integral role in producing quality Minnesota soybeans. The extent of technology’s part in Schreurs’ operation shone through during the visit.
“The interesting part is how you work with technology for everything,” Rwagatore said. “You get to have a nice crop at the end of the season versus us, we just have surprises at the end. We’re still farming the old way.”
Minnesota’s family farms are another aspect of the farm visit that will stick with Rwagatore.
“I really love the way the farm is generational here in America,” she said. “The sense of pride shows.”
As the tour bus pulled out of the farm, the delegation headed to their next stop with a firsthand look at a Minnesota soybean farm under their belts.
“They’re here to learn about U.S. soy and to learn about our product,” Schreurs said. “They want to see how it’s produced and what we do with it. It’s about working together.”
Following their time at the Peltier Complex and Schreurs’ farm, the NCI INTSOY participants headed to South Dakota to tour South Dakota State University’s Animal Science Complex and toured dairy, aquaculture and soybean processing facilities. Then it was back to Minnesota and the University of Minnesota, where MSR&PC Director of Market Development Kim Nill presented on soybean plant growth stages, crush process and products and touted the benefits of high oleic soybean oil.
