The American Soybean Association (ASA) is urging all soybean producers to contact their Congressional Representatives during the next few days to ask them to support inclusion of biodiesel tax incentives in an Energy Bill being finalized by Congress. The goal of this tax incentive is to increase consumption of biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel produced primarily from soybean oil, which will help support higher prices paid to farmers for their soybeans.

"The time is now for U.S. soybean producers to contact their Representatives and Senators and urge them to protect the biodiesel tax incentive," said ASA President Dwain Ford, a soybean producer from Kinmundy, Illinois. "Ask them to stress to the Energy Bill Conferees responsible for the tax provisions of the energy package how important the biodiesel tax incentive is to our livelihoods, as well as our environment and our country’s energy security."

With time winding down on Conference Committee consideration of the Energy Bill, soybean farmers have precious little time to register their support in favor of the biodiesel tax incentive. That is why ASA is requesting immediate action by its members and all farmers who want to improve the profitability of soybean production.

Soybean producers can reach their Representatives and Senators in Washington, D.C. by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or by logging onto www.soygrowers.com and using ASA’s Legislative Action Center to quickly e-mail prepared letters.

As passed by the U.S. Senate, the Comprehensive Energy Bill contains a tax incentive to encourage the use of biodiesel. The House’s energy bill contains no similar provision. The differences between the Senate bill and the House-passed bill are being reconciled in a joint House/Senate Conference Committee. The Conference Committee, which started its review of the Energy measure in late June, could wrap-up its work on the bill over the next several days.

"Opportunities such as these are few and far between," Ford said. "As soybean farmers, a few minutes of time invested now, could pay big dividends for many years to come."