For the 2021 fiscal year, the Maryland Soybean Board has invested over $190,000 in projects to promote soybeans and their many by-products. The board of farmer directors identified target areas of funding as Animal Agriculture, Consumer Education, Emerging Markets, and Farmer Engagement.
“The overall goal is to maximize the profitability of Maryland soybean farmers,” shared Evan Staley, Chair of the board’s Promotion and Communication Committee. “The board received proposals in excess of the amount of funding available. They chose to prioritize projects that best aligned with their strategic plan.”
Projects funded in these target areas include:
- Animal Agriculture – Membership to the Animal Agriculture Alliance, Rebranding and Promoting Delmarva’s Chicken Community through the Delmarva Chicken Association (DCA), Sponsorship of 4-H youth livestock shows;
- Consumer Education – “Find Me Driving” road Safety Campaign, “Just the Beginning…the Life of a Young Sprout” booklets, Maryland Agricultural Education Outreach through the Maryland Agriculture Education Foundation (MAEF), Maryland Farm & Harvest television series, MaxCareers.Info website, Membership to the Center for Food Integrity, MidAtlantic CommonGround, My Maryland Farmers website and social media campaign;
- Emerging Markets – Building Brand New Export Markets through the World Initiative for Human Health (WISHH), National Biodiesel Board Membership, Northeast State Regulatory and Technical Biodiesel Support;
- Farmer Engagement – Elevator Signage about the checkoff program, LEAD Maryland Program, Maryland Commodity Classic, and other local sponsorships.
“For every dollar that farmers invest into the soybean checkoff, the United Soybean Board has shown that they received an estimated $12.34 in added value. The Maryland Soybean Board is proud of the investments being made to continuously add value to the industry,” Staley concludes.
In Maryland, farmers grow about a half a million acres of soybeans, producing more than 20 million bushels of beans each year. With a value of $173 million to the state’s economy, soybeans are one of Maryland’s top crops. The checkoff program is funded by farmers through an assessment of one-half of one percent of the net market value of their soybeans at the first point of sale. One-half of the checkoff funds stay in Maryland for programs; the other half is sent to the United Soybean Board.
For more information on the Maryland Soybean Board, visit www.mdsoy.com.
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Danielle Farace, Executive Director
Maryland Soybean Board
Office: 443.812.4526
danielle@mdsoy.com