Soybean producers gathered in Nashville, Tenn., last week to review and revise the policy direction of the American Soybean Association (ASA). One hundred thirty four producers from ASA’s 25 state affiliates served as voting delegates in this annual process that guides the ASA as it pursues future initiatives to improve U.S. soybean farmer profitability.

The voting delegates session was held on Saturday, March 1, following conclusion of the Commodity Classic Convention and Trade Show. What follows are the most significant additions and modifications covering a variety of important soybean issues.

Farm Policy

In response to continuing Bush Administration efforts in the 2008 Farm Bill conference to change the way the Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) program has operated by requiring a producer to sell his crop and therefore lose “beneficial interest” in order to claim a LDP payment, the voting delegates adopted the following resolution: “ASA strongly opposes efforts to require producers to lose beneficial interest in their commodities at the time they receive a Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) or Marketing Loan Gain under the marketing loan program. ASA also strongly opposes proposals that would discriminate against planting soybeans by exempting crops that compete for acres with soybeans from the required loss of beneficial interest based on how these crops are marketed, or for any other reason.” ASA believes the Administration’s proposal would undermine the safety net provided by the marketing loan in times of low prices, result in lower harvest-time prices since producers would have less incentive to store their crop in anticipation of higher prices during the marketing season, and disadvantage soybean, feed grain and wheat producers relative to cotton and rice producers.

Production

Emphasizing that modern agricultural production methods are both sustainable and needed to meet growing food, feed, and fuel demand, the voting delegates adopted the following resolution: “ASA supports biotechnology, commercial fertilizer, and commercial crop protection products and believes that any definition of ‘sustainable agriculture’ include the use of these products.”

Responding to soybean farmers’ desire for more detailed information on the seed they are planting, the voting delegates passed the following resolutions: “ASA supports full disclosure of all information concerning germination, vigor and quality, and strongly encourages all companies to enter their varieties in independent university variety trials.”

Biodiesel

To sustain the young biodiesel industry and the benefits the biodiesel industry offers to farmers, consumers and the environment, the delegates passed the following resolutions: “ASA supports permanent extension of the biodiesel tax incentive at the existing levels of $1.00 per gallon for agri-biodiesel and $0.50 per gallon for biodiesel and renewable diesel, on a volumetric basis. ASA supports authorization of a bioenergy program in the 2008 Farm Bill to provide CCC payments to domestic biodiesel producers on all production to offset feedstock costs and subsidized foreign biodiesel imports.”

Trade

In recognition that 96 percent of the world’s population lives outside our borders and that nearly 50 percent of U.S. soy production is exported to customers overseas, the voting delegates adopted the following resolutions: “ASA strongly supports Congressional passage of the Colombia, Panama and South Korea Free Trade Agreements, and strongly opposes any product exclusions from Free Trade Agreements (FTA) on the grounds that they serve as negative precedents for countries seeking to exclude soy or livestock products. ASA supports substantial improvements in market access for soybeans and soybean products, including livestock products, as the top priority of the Doha Development Round under the WTO.”

Given ongoing delays in European Union approvals of new biotechnology products, the delegates also adopted the following resolution: “ASA supports an expedited process for approval and acceptance of biotechnology products in the European Union.”

Organizational Issues

Believing that both soybean policy and checkoff investments are necessary for soybean farmer success in the years ahead, but frustrated that greater coordination and leveraging of these policy and checkoff efforts are not currently taking place, the voting delegates adopted the following resolutions: “It is recommended that ASA and the United Soybean Board (USB) implement an ASA/USB Coordination Committee of their respective officers, and that this committee meet at least quarterly in person or via teleconference. It is recommended that ASA and USB implement a joint committee structure with proportional number of committee members (with voting rights at the committee level).”