Results from this study showed that variation in soybean production-based CO2 emission intensity across counties and states is substantial. Across states, production emissions range from 0.36 to 1.16 kg CO2 equiv./kg soybeans, with land use changes (LUC) ranging from zero up to 6.1 kg CO2 equiv./kg soybeans. The range in emissions is even greater for county-scale estimates, ranging from 0.23 to 4.0 kg CO2 equiv./kg soybeans for production inputs and outputs, and 0 to 43 kg CO2 equiv./kg soybeans produced from LUC. We have also completed the supply chain optimization model, which provides soybean sourcing estimates for each processing facility. However, due to some unforeseen challenges and delays in developing and validating the data for the supply chain optimization model, we are currently in the process of combining the recently estimated sourcing information with the county-scale estimates of soybean production and subsequent processing to estimate total emissions attributed to soybean meal, oil, and hulls. After this is completed, we will normalize CO2 emission per kg of output, and for soybean meal, we will also present results per kg of protein to enable comparison across alternative protein products, and soybean meal sources produced outside the US. We have written a draft of the manuscript that we will be submitting for publication in a peer-review journal.

Livestock and poultry producers need to reduce the carbon footprint of animal production, and feed represents about half of these emissions. As a result, animal nutritionists are beginning to use multi-objective feed formulation to create low environmental impact swine and poultry diets using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) measures and data for feed ingredients as formulation constraints. Therefore, because soybean meal is a major ingredient used in swine and poultry diets globally, it is essential that accurate LCA data for U.S. soybean meal are used because environmental impacts vary by country of origin, among U.S. states, various databases, and publications. The Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI) feed ingredient database is the international standard for LCA data but currently does not include data for U.S. soybean meal at the state or county level. The results obtained from this project represent new LCA data for U.S. soybean meal at the county and state level, which will be published and ultimately provided to the GFLI database and shared with industry partners. This project addresses the sustainability goal defined in the USB strategic plan that shows the relative value of U.S. soybean meal based on geographic origin. The information and data obtained from this project is essential for providing an accurate and consistent environmental sustainability story for U.S. soybean meal.