Relationships are the building blocks of Northern Soy Marketing’s (NSM) mission to redefine the measure of feed ingredient quality based on essential amino acid content. An NSM delegation will be heading to Indonesia Jan. 12-19, 2026, to continue cultivating strong connections with international soy purchasers.
“The big thing is forming relationships,” said NSM Vice Chair David Struck, who will attend the trade mission. “We have a pretty good opportunity to convince our international stakeholders that American beans will work for them.”
Amidst a tumultuous export market landscape, it’s vital to soybean growers throughout Minnesota and South Dakota to continue making inroads in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia being a focus for NSM for the past several years. This summer, progress was made when the U.S. and Indonesia agreed to a Framework for negotiating an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade that included the purchase of agriculture products, including soybeans, soybean meal, wheat and cotton with an estimated total value of $4.5 billion.
“If price is their main concern, as cheap as the beans are right now, it shouldn’t be a concern,” said Struck, who was also part of last year’s NSM delegation to Indonesia.
The fourth-most populous country in the world, Indonesia is rapidly growing and is poised to be a vital market for northern-grown soy. In 2024, the country purchased $1.24 billion of U.S. soy and as its population continues to grow, so will its demand in the poultry and aquaculture sectors, creating an ideal opportunity for NSM.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the other end of the supply chain,” said NSM Director Carson Stange, who will also be part of the NSM delegation in January, “and just getting a feel for who our buyers are.”
While in Indonesia, the NSM delegation, which will include University of Minnesota soybean researcher Seth Naeve, will explain the benefits of basing soy quality on critical amino acid value. While crude protein percentage is only an estimate of the total amino acids based on the level of nitrogen detected, it doesn’t speak to the quantity of each amino acid or the balance of the essential to non-essential amino acids.
“NSM has a good message,” Struck said. “As farmers, we go over there, and we meet with the importers and the processors. And after we get done meeting everyone, then our experts, like Seth, explain the technicals of the advantages of buying our beans.”
Visiting international stakeholders throughout Jakarta, Banten and Bekasi, NSM will also host its “Understanding U.S. Soy Quality” seminar in Jakarta. By the time the NSM delegation heads for home, vital relationships will be nurtured.
“It’s important to have strong relationships with our buyers,” Stange said. “Creating a personal experience and getting to know them on a personal level is key.”
