Step 1 – Where Quality Takes Root: How U.S. Soybean Farmers Build Consistency into Every Bushel
By Thomas D’Alfonso, Ph.D., Worldwide Animal Nutrition Focus Area Director, U.S. Soybean Export Council
The consistency you rely on in your feed formulations doesn’t happen by accident. It begins with multi-generational knowledge, precision practices, and a climate that allows soybeans to dry naturally in the field – advantages that translate directly to the nutrient composition and digestibility of soybean meal derived from U.S. soybeans.
The Foundation of Consistency
Reggie Strickland, a seventh-generation farmer from North Carolina, and USSEC board member, explains what generational farming means for quality: “The land is a part of our family because it’s been passed down for generations, and we care for it. ”
That knowledge manifests in precision practices that minimize variability across fields and between growing seasons. “We’re soil sampling. We sample grids in two-and-a-half-acre samples. Now, we’re even looking at going down to one-acre samples to fine-tune it even more,” Strickland shares. “It all starts there with the soil.”
This precise approach to nutrient management reduces variability in the crop – and that consistency carries through to the soybean meal that eventually reaches your feed mill.
Technology Meets Tradition
The eighth generation has already returned to Strickland’s farm, bringing new technology capabilities while building on established practices. “My daughter came back to the farm two years ago,” he notes. “I’ve always been at the forefront of new technology. We’re heavily involved in the use of drones on our farm. We were one of the early adopters.”
This combination of generational knowledge and modern precision agriculture is characteristic of U.S. soy production. Variable-rate application, GPS-guided equipment, and data-driven decision-making help ensure that every acre produces soybeans with consistent nutrient profiles.
The Climate Advantage
Beyond farming practices, the U.S. climate provides a fundamental quality advantage. Cooler, drier conditions at harvest allow soybeans to dry naturally in the field, eliminating the need for mechanical drying that can cause heat damage and nutrient degradation.
USSEC quality tracking data demonstrates that U.S. Soy exhibits approximately five times less total damage compared to soybeans from origins that rely on wood-fired or mechanical dryers.1 This matters because heat damage reduces amino acid digestibility – the nutrients your birds absorb and utilize for growth.
Research also shows soybean meal derived from U.S. Soy achieves higher standardized digestibility in the small intestine for lysine and other essential amino acids compared to South American origins.2 That digestibility advantage translates to real feed cost savings and improved animal performance.3
Quality You Can’t Add Back
“You cannot improve that soybean meal once it gets in that container or gets in that bag,” Strickland emphasizes. “If you’re buying a degraded product or a lesser product from the farm level, there’s no way you can improve it. I don’t care what you add to it.”
This insight captures why sourcing matters. U.S. farmers’ sustainable practices from soil health management and precision nutrient application to careful harvest timing create the consistent, high-quality foundation that your feed formulations depend on.
Learn more about Reggie’s role in creating and maintaining consistency across the entire U.S. Soy supply chain here.
What’s Nourishing Your Business?
This article was partially funded by the Soy Checkoff
[1] USA & Brazil Soybean Quality Dashboard, Data captured August 2025 https://trapast.shinyapps.io/13_soybean_quality
[2] Lagos, L.V., & Stein, H.H. (2017). Chemical composition and amino acid digestibility of soybean meal produced in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, India, or China when fed to pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 95, 1626–1636.
[3] Oviedo-Rondón, E.O., Toscan, A., Fagundes, N.S., et al. (2024). Soybean Origin Segregation in Poultry Feed: A Precision Nutrition Approach. (Published in NutriNews)