Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2021. Curious how the world’s coolest beans get to market? What paths, problems, and purposes they take on throughout their journey? This fall, as soybean harvest continues across our country, the American Soybean Association breaks down where “cool beans”—those responsibly grown, reliably available, versatile and protein-packed orbs sourced only from 500,000 U.S. soy farmers—are shipped and what end use they may serve. What’s more, this unique education campaign will cover why transportation and infrastructure are imperative to U.S. soy’s continued success.

Meet Beanjamin Bean

“There are 30 primary soy-producing states in the U.S. covering roughly half the country, but it is not always clear to those outside our industry the path our beans take from various regions to get from field to final destination,” said Wendy Brannen, ASA Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications. “With the #SoyOnTheGo social media campaign, we will personify four beans and walk through how they get to market, and more importantly, why modernized infrastructure that supports reliable transportation is critical to the long-term success of our industry,” said Brannen.

ASA in a separate press release last Friday evening touted passage by both chambers of H.R. 3684, noting that the historic investments in U.S. infrastructure in that piece of legislation will greatly impact the global competitiveness of soy and other agricultural products for years to come. #SoyOnTheGo will demonstrate specific examples of why ASA has been supportive of that bipartisan infrastructure package and the organization will continue to push for and appreciate strong domestic infrastructure.

Kicking off the campaign this week is Beanjamin, who hails from the Upper Midwest and journeys by road, rail and vessel to the soy export market. Follow Beanjamin and friends these next four weeks—and hear soy policy priorities related to the #SoyOnTheGo campaign—on ASA’s Facebook and Twitter. ASA encourages you to like, share, and repost so those persons both inside and outside of agriculture can learn more about farm production, distribution and markets through this new cast of characters, including soy and soy priorities.