The Soybean Pod

2025 brought a lot of change to the federal policy landscape. Those changes have meant economic uncertainty for farmers. Among the speakers and experts that the South Dakota Soybean Association invited to present at the 2024 AgOutlook Conference and Tradeshow last December was Matt Erickson, the Ag Economic and Policy Advisor for Farm Credit Services of America. On this edition of the Soybean Pod featuring Erickson, we address economic uncertainty and what might be expected on the agriculture horizon.

Varying skills and backgrounds bring a diverse array of perspectives to the South Dakota Soybean Association (SDSA) board. Director Dan Nigg of Sisseton, South Dakota, is active on the SDSA board as well as on the board of his local cooperative elevator. That provides insights into what it takes to ship millions of bushels of soybeans from South Dakota to Pacific Northwest ports from which they’re exported to China and Southeast Asia. On this edition of the Soybean Pod, Nigg talks about what being on the SDSA board has taught him, and what he can share with other soybean growers about his knowledge of railroad logistics.

Ross Tschetter is not afraid to put himself out there. He likes people, resulting in his involvement in more than one program that promotes self-improvement and leadership skills. He puts those skills to use in his community, as part of a local USDA committee and among soybean growers. In this edition of the Soybean Pod, we talk to Tschetter about what motivates him, about his farm, and about his take on soybean demand and dealing with a soft soybean market.

Northern Soy Marketing exists because of the history of soybean export purchases based on crude protein content. Soybeans grown at the latitude of South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin don’t have the oil and protein concentration of soybeans produced in more southerly climates. On this edition of the Soybean Pod, we’ll talk to Mike McCranie of Claremont, South Dakota, a member of the Northern Soy Marketing board, about research that shows northern-grown soybeans to have unique attributes making the meal from these soybeans attractive as livestock feed.

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) have been working to improve nitrogen-fixing capabilities in soybeans. The hoped-for outcome, according to Sen Subramanian, plant scientist and agronomy professor at SDSU, is an increase in soybean yields while at the same time preserving soil health. On this edition of the Soybean Pod, we talk to Subramanian about his hypothesis that natural biological nitrogen fixation can meet the soybean plant's nutrient needs later in the growth cycle. This would ensure high yields without applying synthetic fertilizers.

Todd Hanten will miss getting first-hand information on how Soybean Checkoff dollars are being invested. The farmer from Goodwin, South Dakota, not far from Watertown, retired from the checkoff board after three terms, nine years, as a director. He’s proud of what he, along with fellow board members, accomplished. On this edition of The Soybean Pod, among other subjects, we talk with Todd about his favorite part of serving on the checkoff board, as well as how he got into farming.

Drew Peterson focuses on the positive: “I’m so blessed,” is what comes to the Salem farmer’s mind when he talks about his son Michael, who just turned a year old, the first quarter of which was spent in a neonatal intensive care unit after entering the world earlier than expected. Among other things, Peterson is also grateful for the opportunity to have been in the Corteva Agriscience Young Leader Program, which opened the door to being a South Dakota Soybean leader and a South Dakota lawmaker. On this edition of The Soybean Pod, Drew talks about the lasting benefits of that leadership training, his dream for Michael’s future, and how that shapes the future of the Peterson farm. That decision will be Michael’s and future siblings’, says Drew, adding, “I want to be [the kind of] farmer with my wife and my dad, that [Michael] thinks that looks like a pretty cool deal.”

Soybean oil-based fuels have been a huge demand builder for the commodity. Biodiesel and renewable diesel have depended on soybean oil as a primary feedstock. Now, add to that sustainable aviation fuel, and while it’s no panacea, it will eventually mean even greater demand for soybean oil. In this edition of The Soybean Pod, Tom Verry, outreach and development director for Clean Fuels Alliance America, talks about what might be expected for future growth in soybean oil demand from sustainable aviation fuel and also from renewable diesel and biodiesel.