Soybean Commission Focuses on Research Growth

By Scout Nelson

The Kansas Soybean Commission (KSC) will hold its annual December board meeting from December 4–6, 2025, at the Kansas Soybean Office in Topeka. The three-day session will focus on reviewing and selecting funding proposals for fiscal year 2027 (FY27), along with discussions on market development, education, and research priorities to strengthen Kansas’s soybean industry.

Each year, the meeting determines how checkoff dollars are invested to benefit soybean farmers. These funds support projects in research, education, and market growth, ensuring that investments contribute directly to industry improvement and profitability.

“An important thing about the soybean checkoff is that these funding decisions are made by farmers,” says Keith Miller, KSC chairman. “We’re out there in the fields experiencing the same problems you do, and now we get to work toward solutions.”

Key priorities for this year’s meeting include initiatives that will “move the pile” by expanding the use of soybeans and securing stronger demand for both oil and meals. “With growing demand for soybean oil and uncertainty in international trade, it’s critically important for us farmers to have reliable demand for soybean meals,” Miller says. “Whether it’s new uses or new markets, we have to be able to sell the whole bean.”

During last year’s session, the Commission funded $4.5 million in projects focused on education, market development, and research. “This process of receiving and funding proposals is vital to improving the profitability of Kansas soybean operations,” says Ron Ohlde, district four commissioner.

“For every dollar you pay into the checkoff, you receive back $12.30 in added value. As an industry, we have to always move forward in terms of technology, pest control, things like that. The money must come from somewhere, and we’re able to put it right back towards farmers’ bottom lines.”

The December meeting, which is open to all Kansas soybean checkoff participants, will also address ongoing projects, educational efforts, and administrative updates.

For additional details, contact KSC Administrator Kaleb Little at little@kansassoybeans.org or call 877-KS-SOYBEAN (877-577-6923).

Photo Credit:istock-oticki