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Kansas Soybean Commission outlines checkoff investments, pledges to ag innovation
Summary
The Kansas Soybean Commission summarized funding decreases tied to lower prices and yields, use of reserves for strategic investments including a pledge to K‑State ag innovation, and work on biodiesel, renewable diesel and soy‑based products.
Raylan Phelan, vice chair of the Kansas Soybean Commission, told the Senate Agriculture Committee the commission’s collections from July 2023 to July 2024 were about $3.5 million, down roughly $1 million from the previous year because of lower prices and yields.
“Each year, the amount we have to invest is dependent on the strength of soybean prices and the volume of soybeans that we're able to grow,” Phelan said. He said the soybean checkoff is a one‑half of one percent assessment at the first point of sale, with half retained in state and half remitted to the United Soybean Board.
Phelan said the commission used about $5.8 million of reserves to continue investing in programs and pledged $4 million over five years to the Kansas State University Ag Innovation project. He cited examples of soy‑based products under development — concrete sealers, carpet backing, paint and insulation — and said the commission supports biodiesel and renewable diesel research and commercialization efforts.
The commission also funds variety research, technical training and partnerships with multiple Kansas institutions including Kansas State University, KU and several community colleges. Phelan thanked senators and noted a large private soybean processing investment — a Bartlett plant in southeast Kansas — that he said could change the state’s soybean market over time.
He closed by encouraging senators to review the commission’s handout with project and financial details; committee time constraints limited additional questions.
