An Illinois-based processing facility successfully completed its first run of climate-smart soybeans this fall, marking a significant milestone in the
initiative to bring climate-smart commodities to market. These food-grade soybeans are now poised to enter the soy milk market as part of the Transforming the Farmer to Consumer Supply Chain project (Transform F2C) leads the effort, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant.
The Scoular processor is the first of five processing facilities expected under the project and it is located at the company’s grain-cleaning facility in Andres, Illinois.
“The ability to trace and build markets for climate-smart commodities throughout the supply chain has proven to be a barrier to widespread adoption,” said Nick Goeser, co-founder of Carbon A List, which administers the Transform F2C grant. “We’re thrilled that this project is already having success in demonstrating that a traceable approach can work with climate-smart agriculture in the supply chain. And this is only the beginning,” Goeser said.
The Transform F2C project incentivizes producers to implement climate-smart practices, such as cover cropping, conservation crop rotation and reduced tillage practices. These practices reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote carbon sequestration and improve soil health. The project expects to engage farmers implementing these practices across the Midwest and Great Plains regions, with a goal to exceed the 36,000-acre target set forth at the beginning of the effort.