The Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program is taking steps working towards greater access to markets and customers to help Illinois soybean farmers ultimately sell more soybeans. Just down the street from the Chicago Board of Trade, ISA opened an office in late June.
The office provides a convenient location for the U.S. Soybean Export Council to bring international soy buyers to meet with farmers. Many of the trade teams USSEC works with come through Chicago. Partnering with ISA in the city provides a complete view of the U.S. soy complex without driving for hours.
“Chicago is an ideal location for the placement of ISA’s new office. Both international and domestic can reach Chicago with ease while experiencing much of the soy industry—from production to processing to shipping—within an hour of ISA’s new office,” said Eric Gibson, USSEC Stakeholder Relations Coordinator.
Besides containing two international airports, Chicago is the only U.S. city passed through by all major railroads. Rail capacity combined with inland waterway access that includes Lake Michigan and the Illinois River branch of the Mississippi River system makes Chicagoland a key player in container exports. Having this infrastructure in place provides a huge advantage.
Many companies have moved soybean cleaning equipment to Chicago and its surrounding areas to support container shipments of high-value commodity-grade and specialty beans for markets like Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. The access benefits food processors as well.
The new office strengthens Illinois soybean farmers’ voices and presence in the heart of the industry, where the soybean value chain and associated industries add economic value and jobs. Illinois soybean farmers believe developing solutions to food supply and demand challenges will have long-term positive impacts for agriculture.