Priding itself in transparency with a dedication to soy quality education, Northern Soy Marketing (NSM) once again took its message to an international audience, hosting the “Understanding U.S. Soy Quality & Crop Update” online seminar, which covered relevant soybean meal topics and a growing season update and outlook in the northern region.
“Wow, I wished it would rain again. Not too many people are saying that right now, but I think gradually we’ll get there,” Daryl Ritchison, North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network director (NDAWN) said. “My research suggests more dry areas than wet areas, especially once we get into August and September towards the end of the growing season. And then the first half of autumn right now looks dry and mild. Therefore, that should make for a good start to harvest season.”
In addition to what Mother Nature has in store for the future, presenters, which included poultry consultant Bob Swick and NSM directors Nancy Kavazanjian and David Struck, analyzed the market forecast for U.S. soymeal.
“In the U.S., there’s U.S. and state mandates on sustainable aviation fuel, so they’re going to be converting soybean oil into sustainable aviation fuel so the airlines can make a statement that they’re becoming greener,” said Swick. “That is going to result in an additional 20 million metric tons of soybean meal produced in the U.S. by 2026, creating a situation where there will be more competitive pricing of soybean meal in the U.S.”
Swick also pointed out to international purchasers and nutritionists attending that soymeal supplies about 40-70 percent of digestible amino acids, but digestibility depends on a few key factors.
“Amino acids like lysine, methionine, threonine, valine, isoleucine and arginine and the total amino acids, yes, are related to the crude protein, but the digestibility of those amino acids is more related to how well the beans are stored and how well the beans are processed,” Swick said.
Swick provided key research to reiterate that animals require digestible amino acids, not crude protein, and the importance of international soybean buyers to consider the critical amino acid value rather than crude protein levels as a complete assessment of soybean feed quality.
“The digestible amino acids are related to the total amino acids and that’s related to the crude protein, but the digestibility is really not related to crude protein,” Swick said. “Soybean meal is sold on the basis of crude protein and crude fiber, so we have a bit of a disconnect there. The higher protein soybeans have a different ratio of amino acids than the lower protein soybeans.”
For more information about NSM and its commitment to promoting the quality, consistency and reliability of northern grown soybeans and soymeal, click here.
