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The NDSU Extension weekly podcast In the Pod: Soybean Updates delivers timely insights and expert advice on soybean production.
You're listening to In The Pod, soybean updates, a weekly trek into the latest soybean information from NDSU Extension. There are two organizations in North Dakota that are advocates for North Dakota soybean growers. One of them is the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. Justin Sherlock is the president and today's guest. Justin, what's the difference between the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association and the North Dakota Soybean Council?
Justin Sherlock:So a lot of producers are probably really familiar with the soybean checkoff, and that's more of the work that the soybean council does. They do a lot of focus on education, research, market development, and those are important things. And then on the association side, we're that membership organization and we're really focused on policy. All the issues going on right now, there's no shortage of policy issues that affect how farmers operate. And that's really where we focus. And then on the council side, you know, they focus on building those markets and doing the research and educating folks.
Bruce Sundeen:Why is it important to be a member?
Justin Sherlock:Well, I think it's really important to be a member of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association because your membership is what drives our ability to go out and advocate on your behalf. We know a lot of farmers don't have time to personally be calling up their representative's office, their Senate offices, being out in Bismarck, Washington, DC. It's really important to have farm voices there. And if you're a member of NDSGA, you're empowering us on the board to go and help represent you. We can go and advocate for farm programs. We can go advocate on trade issues. We can advocate on conservation. All these things that are important to how you farm, those are the things that we go and do work on your behalf. And we can't do that if you're not a member and help support the organization.
Bruce Sundeen:Justin, what does it take to become a member?
Justin Sherlock:So if you're interested in becoming a member, look us up, Google us, go to our website, give us a call, ask to speak with someone about membership, and they'll point you in the right direction. Pretty easy. It takes just a few minutes. We'll get some information from you. We'll collect the membership fee, and, you'll be a member. Ask them about our great benefits. Besides just advocating on your behalf, we've got some great member benefits, and we're always looking to improve those. So give us a call. We'll be happy to sign you up.
Bruce Sundeen:Justin, what are some other things the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association does?
Justin Sherlock:Obviously, trade is the big one right now that we're focused on, but as part of that too with the depressed farm economy, we're really focused on that farm safety net. We're talking to our congressional delegation all the time about how we can protect farmers and keep them in business. We also do a lot of issues at the federal level. I serve as a director for the American Soybean Association as well as my role here in North Dakota where ASA really does focus on those federal issues. So wetlands, conservation, the farm safety net, crop insurance. Then if you look at Bismarck, we're doing a lot of work on infrastructure, ag property taxes. There's never a shortage of topics that impact how farmers operate. We're there both in Bismarck and Washington being that voice for soybean farmers, and we hope, your listeners will give us a call and become a member and help support what we do to support them.
Bruce Sundeen:So keeping with the theme of politics, what's going on with trade right now in the light of the current tariffs?
Justin Sherlock:So as all the listeners probably know, trade is really the hot topic at this particular moment. We're currently having some tariff issues, especially with China in particular. And China, as many people know, is the largest soybean buyer in the world. They are North Dakota's historically, they are North Dakota's largest soybean export customer. Even with the two crush plants that we've built, we still export around half the soybeans we grow in North Dakota. China takes a lot of those soybeans in any given year. So we need to resolve the trade issues with China. We have to get back to doing business with them. They've been a long term customer of ours. We've built up our infrastructure to be able to ship to them. They've built up their crush industry in partnership with us as we've built our infrastructure. We're a great supplier and they're a great customer and we really need to get that relationship prepared and be able to do business again with them. Without trade, North Dakota soybeans will really struggle and suffer. Even the soybeans we're crushing here in the state, a lot of that meal is going to have to find export markets. While the soybean council, again, they're doing a lot of great work markets, to find new customers, find new uses and new products and biofuels, things like that. We still are going to rely on exports for the foreseeable future. So we have to work on that and hopefully we can also build up our animal agriculture markets, but those are all long term things and 's gonna be a real issue. And unless we resolve this, it's gonna have a devastating impact on farm prices in North Dakota for the foreseeable future if we don't get back to trading with our business partners.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Justin. Our guest has been Justin Sherlock, president of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. You're listening to In the Pod, soybean updates, a weekly trek into the latest soybean information from NDSU Extension, supported by the North Dakota Soybean Council.