your promise to the world

YOUR PROMISE TO THE WORLD:
Responsibly grown – economically reliable – unmatched quality
OUR PLEDGE
U.S. soybean farmers pledge that we are 100 percent committed to do everything possible to ensure that U.S.
soybeans continue to be produced in a sustainable manner consistent with sound environmental objectives, are
socially responsible, promote economic growth and embrace best agricultural practices.
On behalf of the more than 279,110 U.S. soybean
farms, the U.S. soy family has adopted the U.S. Soy
Sustainability Assurance Protocol. This protocol is
part of the U.S. commitment to providing the highest
quality soy value system in the world. It protects your
freedom to operate. It ensures that global demand for
our product will remain strong. It will help domestic
and international customers gain confidence in our
work. And it’s a promise that you can keep through
responsible production and continuous improvement.
As U.S. soybean farmers, we are 100 percent committed
to ensuring U.S. soybeans continue to be produced
in a sustainable manner consistent with:
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Sound environmental objectives
Social responsibility
Promotion of economic growth
Continuous improvement in agricultural practices
Through your soybean checkoff, the U.S. soy family
is showing our international customers how U.S.
farmers are living up to the sustainability protocol.
Global buyers want high-quality soy products
produced in a sustainable manner. We provide that
and have the data to prove it. But we need your help.
When you think about everything U.S. soybean
farmers do to ensure sustainable soybean production,
the list is long and impressive. We should be proud
of it. We should talk about it. We should be sure our
international customers understand the value we
offer, so that global demand for U.S. soybeans will
continue to grow.
How can you and other soybean farmers help do that?
Keep reading to discover some compelling facts about
your sustainability efforts that are important for our
customers to know. U.S. FARMERS HAVE SOUND
ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES
SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES
As farmers, we are stewards of abundant, renewable natural resources from which we provide a reliable supply
of high-quality products with minimal impact on the environment.
•Research conducted to quantify the
sustainability of U.S. soybean farming shows
that producers are meeting increasing global
demand while reducing environmental impact
per bushel of soybeans we produce. (Market,
Environmental and Socioeconomic Indicators
for Measuring Outcomes of On-Farm
Agricultural Production in the United
States: Second Report, 2012)
•Farmers have enrolled approximately 85
percent of U.S. soybean acres in USDA
programs, and many of these acres are
monitored and audited by the U.S.
government. (Claassen, 2012)
•Through use of soil conservation practices,
farmers have reduced soil erosion per bushel
of soybeans produced by 66 percent since 1980.
(Market, Environmental and Socioeconomic
Indicators for Measuring Outcomes of On-Farm
Agricultural Production in the United States:
Second Report, 2012)
•In the last 30 years, farmers have reduced our
energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and
irrigation water use per bushel of soybeans by
more than 40 percent. (Market, Environmental
and Socioeconomic Indicators for Measuring
Outcomes of On-Farm Agricultural Production
in the United States: Second Report, 2012)
•Through our soybean checkoff, U.S. farmers
have adopted a peer-reviewed, internationally
accepted life cycle assessment, which can
measure the environmental and energy
impacts of U.S. soybean production and
processing. (Pollack & Greig, 2010)
•Because of continuous improvement in soybean
yields, we farmers are helping meet the world’s
growing need for protein without putting
additional acres of environmentally marginal
land into production. (Market, Environmental
and Socioeconomic Indicators for Measuring
Outcomes of On-Farm Agricultural Production
in the United States: Second Report, 2012)
•The amount of land needed to produce a
bushel of soybeans has decreased by 35
percent since 1980. (Market, Environmental
and Socioeconomic Indicators for Measuring
Outcomes of On-Farm Agricultural Production
in the United States: Second Report, 2012)
•The U.S. soybean industry has reduced our
overall carbon emissions by an average of
104.23 million pounds each year since 2000.
This is the equivalent of removing more than
31,000 cars from the road each year. (Market,
Soybeans: Producing More with Less, 2010)
FARMERS TAKE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
As farmers, we know better than anyone that sustainable farming is more than complying with rules. It is an
investment we make to ensure our children and grandchildren can continue to operate in a socially responsible
manner. The decisions we make every day help ensure our farms will continue to be productive for many years
to come.
•As family farmers, we pass our legacy of
stewardship of the land from generation
to generation.
•We embrace the U.S. government’s long-term
commitment to the protection of workers’
rights, including fair wages, safety precautions
and insurance.
•We provide annual information on labor-related
factors, such as overtime hours and farmrelated injuries. (BLS, 2011)
•We comply with the Environmental Protection
Agency’s Worker Protection Standard for
Agricultural Pesticides, which offers protections
to agricultural workers and pesticide handlers.
•We are committed to improving human
health worldwide through better access to
safe, nutritious food.
•Often, we farmers employ commercial
applicators for pesticides. When we do apply
pesticides ourselves, we must be current with
licensing and training. (Agency, 2004)
•We actively participate in local, state and
national decisions and programs designed to
protect and improve water quality. We use the
latest life science technologies and farming
techniques to protect the soil and keep our
waterways cleaner, protecting these vital
resources for future generations.
•We are continually reducing tillage in order to
keep crop residue in place for erosion control
and to create healthier soil conditions. (Towery
& Werblow, 2010)
FARMERS ARE COMMITTED
TO ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Through continuous increases in soybean yields and quality, we farmers are meeting the needs of our international
customers through an effective supply system and superior service before and after the purchase.
•More soybeans are grown in the United
States than any other country in the world –
more than three billion bushels annually.
(Service, 2012)
•Not only are we the world’s number one
source of soybeans, but more than 60 percent
of our soybean crop is exported around the
world. (Service, 2012)
•In the last 30 years, U.S. farmers have
increased our soybean yields by 55 percent.
(Market, Environmental and Socioeconomic
Indicators for Measuring Outcomes of On-Farm
Agricultural Production in the United States:
Second Report, 2012) FARMERS STRIVE FOR CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
With assistance from our prolific public and private research organizations, professional agronomists and technology
providers, we continually adopt new products and practices to increase the yield and quality of our soybeans
and protect natural resources.
•We invest in new technology, such as satellite
positioning equipment, which allows us to be
extremely precise with seed planting and
application of fertilizer and crop protection
products. This means less waste, more
efficiency and higher yields for our customers.
•We work with specialized experts who assist
with practices such as soil testing, plant tissue
analysis and scouting for pests. This helps us be
timely and exact with the use of necessary crop
protection products and fertilizer to sustain the
crop, avoid waste and produce higher yields.
•Soybean seed technology and crop protection
products continue to improve, preventing
disease, decreasing insect and weed damage
and protecting against harsh weather.
•U.S. conservation programs provide high levels
of confidence that our soybeans are produced in
a manner compliant with the sustainability
performance demands of global customers.
HOW WE VALIDATE OUR SUSTAINABILITY
U.S. soybean farmers have been measuring our sustainability for more than 20 years. Independent,
peer-reviewed research verifies our industry has been, and continues, improving its sustainability performance.
(Pollack & Greig, 2010) To measure the environmental impact of our soybean production, we use internationally
accepted Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools to measure the environmental and social impacts of our soybean
production. The U.S. soy LCA is housed in the leading repositories for life cycle information, including the
Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the USDA National Agricultural Library and
the Ecoinvent Centre, the world’s leading supplier of consistent and transparent life cycle inventory data. To
ensure credibility and objectivity of data and results, the LCA study was peer-reviewed by an international panel
to ensure conformance with ISO 14040 and 14044 (ISO 2006a and 2006b) requirements.
•We provide annual compliance statements that
the USDA Farm Service Agency audits each
year. USDA uses its annual Compliance Status
Review (CSR) to monitor farmer performance
with conservation standards. We know that
federal farm program payments may be at risk
if we do not meet compliance requirements.
(Claassen, 2012)
•According to the CSR, overall compliance is
high with 98 percent of U.S. producers subject
to compliance actively applying approved
conservation systems. The compliance level
has increased from 95.9 percent in 1997.
(Stubbs, 2012)
•Since 1996, the National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) has published accurate
chemical use statistics, including fertilizer and
nutrient applications, pesticide applications,
pest management practices and irrigation.
This database helps federal agencies assess
the benefits and risks of pesticide use and
helps state agencies determine how well
actual agricultural practices correspond to
environmental quality standards.
◦◦ Through surveys, interviews, field
observations and electronic data
reporting, USDA NASS conducts
the Census of Agriculture every five
years, providing the only source of
consistent, comparable and detailed
agricultural data for every U.S. county.
◦◦ The information farmers provide
to NASS is the source of timely
and accurate statistics, which
accurately quantify the sustainability
of our farms.
As farmers, we are ensuring international customers that our Sustainability Assurance Protocol is more than
words and comparisons with other systems of which they may be aware. It is a promise that we will deliver
healthy soy products for human consumption and animal feed, with superior nutritional profiles. And as farmers,
we keep our promises.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agency, E.P. (2004, September 1). Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides. Retrieved January 22, 2013, from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/twor.html
BLS, U. D. (2011). Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities. Washington D.C.: United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Claassen, R. (2012). The Future of Environmental Compliance Incentives in U.S. Agriculture. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Market, F. t. (2010). Soybeans: Producing More with Less. Chesterfield, MO: United Soybean Board.
Market, F. t. (2012). Environmental and Socioeconomic Indicators for Measuring Outcomes of On-Farm
Agricultural Production in the United States: Second Report. Keystone, CO: Field to Market.
Pollack, J., & Greig, A. (2010). Life Cycle Impact of Soybean Production and Soy Industrial Products. Midland, MI: OmniTech International.
Service, U. F. (2012). Major Oilseeds: World Supply and Distribution (Country View) . Washington D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture.
Stubbs, M. (2012). Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy. Washington D.C.: Congressional Research Service.
Towery, D., & Werblow, S. (2010). Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology. Indianapolis: Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC).