Hardin: Customers’ needs should also be soybean farmers’ concerns

How many of us never give a second thought to what happens to that load of corn or soybeans once it leaves the farm?

Is it going to end up as food, feed or fuel? Are those markets growing? Does it matter?

If farmers want to do more than hope for higher commodity prices and increased demand, we need to pay closer attention to what happens to those truckloads.

This is not only about making sure that we have a favorable business and regulatory environment for our farm. We need to support our customers who are working for the same goal.

In late June, the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Membership & Policy Committee and the Indiana Corn Growers Association hosted the Indiana Livestock Summit in Indianapolis. Historically, livestock feed has been one of the largest markets for our crops.

The summit brought groups from throughout the industry together to discuss challenges and opportunities that the animal protein markets face.

We need to have conversations to ensure Indiana continues to have a favorable climate for growth and that we are adaptable as conditions change.

Gov. Mike Braun spoke to the crowd at the summit and stressed the need to be willing to change and look for new opportunities.

The protein market is hot now due to the rise of GLP-1 drugs and initiatives like Make Indiana Healthy Again. The governor also talked about opportunities in regenerative agriculture.

Many food and consumer packaged goods companies are looking to market their products’ sustainability to consumers. We need to take this chance to show our customers’ customers what conservation practices we are using and monetize them to drive increased revenue on the farm.

Indiana row crop farmers have long complained about the unfair burden of property taxes. This year livestock and poultry farmers are feeling the pain as some of their barns have seen jumps in assessed value of more than 90%.

We need to work together with other allied organizations to make sure that agriculture doesn’t bear an unfair share of the state’s property tax bill.

Sometimes shared goals outside of agriculture can lead to opportunities that we could never have imagined.

The ISA recently hosted a high-level delegation from Thailand, which is looking to increase its imports of U.S. agricultural products to decrease its trade surplus with the United States.

Why would they consider Hoosier corn and soy instead of either generic U.S. agricultural products or soybeans from one of our neighboring states?

One answer might be that Indiana understands the interconnectivity of agriculture — and it shows up.

Nearly all of Indiana’s agricultural leaders greeted Thailand’s ambassador to the United States at ISA’s office in Indianapolis.

Ag leaders representing the state’s soybean, corn, poultry, pork, beef and dairy industries all shared Indiana’s competitive advantage, and the delegation from Thailand was impressed.

We understand everyone can’t pay attention to every issue around the world and draw a line to how it could impact demand and price for your commodities. That is why the ISA M&P Committee is out there advocating on farmers’ behalf.

David Hardin is chair of the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Membership & Policy Committee.