Soybean Farmers Partner to Grow U.S. Aquaculture

New alliance aims to boost U.S. aquaculture sector through the use of soy

Rising demand for fish and seafood means growth in the U.S. aquaculture industry – or fish farming. And that means opportunity for U.S. soybean farmers to provide feed to this sector of animal agriculture.

A report released by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization predicted that aquaculture now provides half of the fish and seafood consumed globally.

To help U.S. soybean farmers capitalize on this potential market, the United Soybean Board (USB) has partnered with nine Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs) to form the Soy Aquaculture Alliance (SAA), which plans to focus on growing the U.S. aquaculture sector through the use of soy as a sustainable feed.

Participating QSSBs include the Delaware Soybean Board, Illinois Soybean Association, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Iowa Soybean Association, Kentucky Soybean Board, Maryland Soybean Board, Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Ohio Soybean Council and South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council. Alliance members hope more state soybean checkoff boards join the state and national soybean checkoff partnership.

“It’s a very exciting time for U.S. soybean farmers to be involved in aquaculture,” explains Mike Beard, team lead of USB’s Aquaculture Initiative and a soybean farmer from Frankfort, Ind. “The possibilities are endless.”

Through various checkoff program areas, USB has supported research into the use of soy in aquaculture both in the United States and abroad. Several QSSBs have also funded aquaculture projects. The SAA will combine the efforts of all of these organizations to further the U.S. aquaculture industry and increase demand for U.S. soy.