The American Soybean Association (ASA) commends Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) for the support and leadership demonstrated by the introduction of legislation (S. 2155) that continues and builds upon the Biobased Market Program established under the 2002 Farm Bill.

The bill recognizes the importance of biobased products and promotes an increase in biobased manufacturing.

"The legislation introduced by Chairwoman Stabenow this week supports the progressive and groundbreaking work of the biobased products industry," said ASA President Steve Wellman, a soybean farmer from Syracuse, Neb. "The biobased products sector is growing and it has the potential to expand considerably in the coming years, providing jobs, expanding markets for soybeans and other agricultural products, reducing the use of petroleum. With its expanded support of USDA’s BioPreferred program, the Chairwoman’s legislation continues to encourage the United States government to purchase biobased products and sends a positive signal to industry to continue their investment in biobased manufacturing. ASA is a founding member of the Biobased Products Coalition, and the soybean industry plays a significant role in the production of biobased products. We look forward to working with Senator Stabenow on the inclusion of the BioPreferred program in the next Farm Bill."