In FY17 HY+Q discovered a breakthrough way to compare soybean end-user value at the variety level and found billions of dollars sitting unrecognized in value differences between soybean varieties. This program makes that value visible and captures it, even though it will remain invisible inside the price paid for bushels. Rapid progress is now possible by adding education and promotions to the farmer and agribusiness soybean sampling teamwork that USSEC and ISA have planned for the 2017 harvest. We will leverage a new variety value score and variety-level comparison tools to connect soybean farmer success directly with livestock producer success in FY18. This promotion puts last year’s investment in those tools to work so growers can easily compare their quality and then consider selecting other varieties that increase livestock sector demand.

Promotion theme: WHEN IT COMES TO SOYBEAN VALUE, EVERY FARMER AND LIVESTOCK CUSTOMER COUNTS
Goal: Make $1 billion in soybean customer value visible at the variety level by June 1, 2018.

Five Success Factors:
1. Value Clarity
• Focus HY+Q promotions on livestock value because that’s the largest market.
• Continue refining the livestock and oil value score with USSEC.
• Team up with USB in the research and market assessment required to include energy in the value score.

2. Value Relationships
• Create new relationships between seed companies, soybean growers and livestock producers.
• Position shared financial success at the center of those new relationships.

3. Value Education (Inform the rational part of the brain)
• Enhance design of the UM sample kit and mailing materials to increase awareness that value flows entirely from quality, not quantity.
• Prepare ongoing communications updates that inform people about the financial benefits of selecting seed varieties based on livestock customer value.

4. Value Promotion (Motivate the emotional part of brain)
• Create a value promotion program to capture people’s imaginations.
• Maximize opportunities to touch producers and seed companies with value reinforcement messages, culminating in a travel incentive promotional prize that connects soybean quality with international marketing success.

5. Value Improvement
• Use www.soyvalue.com to help producers and seed companies experience easy opportunities to make variety selection decisions to increase value.
• Contact farmers who grew high value beans in 2016 to see if they grew the same variety again. Introduce those farmers to a container terminal that is interested in high-value soybeans.

Updated May 5, 2020:
Outputs:
• Value, agronomic, essential amino acid, protein and oil data.
• New multinational or regional seed company working with HY+Q and exploring value, agronomics and protein and oil data.
• New stakeholders collaborated with HY+Q.
• HY+Q visited with industry partners by phone or in person.
• An international Quality Advisory panel established.
• HY+Q presence at major trade show.
• Increased the ISA survey measurement results of farmer attitudes regarding compositional quality improvement.
• Online reporting tool enhanced.

Outcomes:
• Farmers see $1 billion in previously unrecognized soybean value on Soyvalue.com.
• Teamwork on compositional quality efforts with USB, USSEC and within the checkoff family, and soybean production states aware of HY+Q efforts.
• Growing interest of additional QSSBs and USB in working with seed companies on compositional quality based on livestock feed value.
• Increased momentum and support for protein and oil improvement across the soybean industry.
• Pathway for farmers to easily access information about varieties with higher value and ask seed companies for high quality seed.
• Farmers understand the “unseen” value, or loss of value, for lower quality soybeans.
• Industry partners support ISA in its quality/composition improvement programs.
• Farmers capture maximum value for their soybeans and recognize benefits of growing soybeans with unsurpassed customer value.
• Soybean farmers recognized in the market place for value advancement leadership.
• U.S. soybeans overcome international competition on quality.
• Branding program successfully rallies the market place around high quality U.S. soybeans.
• Seed companies see value in developing high yield and high-quality varieties based on marketing advantages.

Specific results and examples of changes the project brought about:
• Assembled and secured additional funding for international nutrition team.
— Nick Bajjalieh, Ph.D., United Soybean Board Contractor
— Sharon Bard, Ph.D., Centrec Consulting
— Bart Borg, Ph.D., Standard Nutrition Company
— Shawn Conley, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
— Dave Gast, Ph.D., AGP/Checkoff Consultant
— Nico Kanis, Schothorst Feed Research-USSEC contractor
— Linda Kull, Ph.D., Illinois Soybean Association
— Spyros Mourtzinis, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Changes brought about:
• Increased USSEC and USB acceptance of process.
— The global nutrition team completed work assessing sample value. Representatives from the Northern EAA Alliance, HY+Q, USB and USSEC determined diet specs and feed software settings and agreed on levels for fiber in the ration.
• Increased USSEC and USB acceptance of process and value of amino acids.
— We incorporated FIRST data from USB to make variety recommendations based on replicated plots.
• Ability to report and predict end user value.
— We hosted meetings with QSSBs and Syngenta at Commodity Classic.
• Increased USSEC and USB acceptance of process.
— Our work was accepted for publication by Agronomy Journal.
• Secured peer-reviewed validation.
— Participated in a Reuters article that positioned ISA as having a solution to the protein problem.
• Awareness of HY+Q as a solution of the protein problem.
— Prepared a value report for ISA directors that confirmed that while utilization will decrease per animal fed, the value of soybean meal will increase enough to offset the reduced feed needed.
• Increased awareness of the value opportunity.
— The results of the global nutrition teamwork assessing sample value was published on Soyvalue.com.
• Increased grower awareness of their sample value.
— We used statistical analysis of results of FIRST data from USB to make variety recommendations based on replicated plots.
• Secured ability to predict feed value.
— Deployed promotional strategies and activities that deliver new solutions to the soybean value chain.
• Increased overall awareness of feed value.
— Invited checkoff family to meeting at Commodity Classic.
— Assisted and supported the ISA Director Strategic Research Programs in managing programs to improve soybean composition quality
— Assisted ISA staff in the identification of issues/opportunities that impact the profitability of soybeans and its competitiveness in domestic and global markets. Provide leadership and integration for local composition efforts with national HY+Q progress
— Worked with the checkoff family and staff to organize collaborative efforts and increase the influence of the checkoff to advance high-value soybeans in the marketplace.
— Organized meetings and facilitate stakeholder interactions as requested or assigned by ISA
— Implemented USSEC sampling program partnership
— Performed other duties as assigned within budget scope
— Secured permission from USSEC to invite university sampling
— Held firm on value of meeting with USB
— Informed seed companies about their value trends

Describe how you accomplished your Project Performance Measures
• Promotional campaign implemented with 1,700 farmers and 12 seed companies.
• More than 3,000 samples analyzed. – 37,000 were analyzed.
• USSEC – HY+Q communications reached 5,000 producers.
• Educational item in USSEC sampling kit reaches 5,000 producers. - Deferred
• Poultry and oil value included in composite relative value score.
• Message blueprint developed with USSEC and at least 1 other state - Deferred
• USSEC teamwork timeline developed.
• Four expert-sourced items developed for USSEC website – deferred.
• Soyvalue.com revised and visited by 50 percent of producers who send samples.
• One national livestock association partners with HY+Q. - Deferred
• One state livestock association partners with HY+Q. – EAA alliance showed interest in talking.
• One regional seed company increases samples sent by 10 percent. – Not achieved.
• Two seed companies engage in marketing teamwork to advance varieties with high compositional value. – Not achieved.
• Livestock value data assembled in reports to present during conversations with seed companies about results, trends and marketing strategies.
• Eight monthly “end-user-value snapshot” communications delivered to farmers who send samples. -- Deferred
• “Certificates of Soybean Value Excellence” (based on livestock value) electronically available to producers via Soyvalue.com.
• Compositional Quality Advisory Panel meets by phone or in person two times. Not achieved.
• Soybean compositional quality value information for soybean varieties available to producers.
• Five farmer success news items prepared based on livestock value score. 7 achieved.
• Measures of farmer attitudes and behavioral intentions regarding quality improvement increased by 10 percent from baseline.
• One international customer engaged. – Two engaged.
• One domestic customer engaged. – Conversations with shipping companies under way.
• Nutrition presentations delivered to international audiences during domestic or international trade mission. – Achieved.
• HY+Q brand identity deployed via Soyvalue.com in 12 states. – Achieved in all states.
• Sustainability value messages and strategies developed with one state and USSEC.- Deferred.
• Monsanto and AgVenture re-invited to participate in sampling. -- Declined.
• Approached American Seed Trade Association to share data and invite them into an advisory role.