The 77-member farmer board distributed the budget across six market segments: food, feed, fuel, industrial, exports and sustainable production.
“Our farmer-leaders built this budget the same way we manage our own farms, by putting every dollar where it can do the most good,” said Brent Gatton, board chair from Bremen, Kentucky. “We’re focused on what moves volume and creates value, from protecting the markets we have to accelerating new uses and opening new doors for U.S. Soy.”
The board prioritized three areas: Health & Nutrition, Infrastructure & Connectivity, and Innovation & Technology.
Food investments include providing science-based evidence on soy oil nutrition and positioning high oleic and conventional soy oil for foodservice use. Feed efforts focus on establishing energy values for soybean meal in animal diets.
Fuel investments target renewable fuel markets across fleet, Bioheat, marine, aviation and rail sectors, supported by federal renewable fuel volumes of approximately 5.7 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel in 2027.
Industrial applications include expanding soybean oil use in lubricants, surfactants, coatings and plastics. Export programs aim to grow demand in more than 90 countries.
Don Wyss, board treasurer from Fort Wayne, Indiana, said the budget reflects careful decisions about checkoff dollar allocation.
