From farm to frontline, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) is taking another giant leap forward to highlight environmentally friendly investments from the soybean checkoff. Polk County, in partnership with MSR&PC, which directs the state’s soybean checkoff resources, is launching the Stepping Up campaign to amplify farmer profitability and promote the value-added uses of the “miracle bean” while making community connections.
Coming on the heels of the successful Driving Soy promotion, Minnesota counties are lacing up to promote renewable, value-added soy products and give back to frontline health care workers in their counties.
“We are proud to present these shoes as a thank you to our frontline workers in Crookston,” said Polk County Soybean/Corn Growers Director Mike Enright.
As part of the Stepping Up promotional effort, Polk County is donating 50 pairs of Skechers soy-based GO shoes to Essentia Health in Fosston and RiverView Health in Crookston.
“The staff who received this generous gift are very appreciative, and we thank you so much for thinking of RiverView Health,” said Tiffany Biermaier of RiverView Health.
The Stepping Up campaign runs throughout the summer. The statewide effort strives to inform both the farming and non-farming public about soy’s environmental advantages and the myriad uses of soybean oil. County leaders also want to show their appreciation to health care workers in their community.
“We know how much health care workers sacrifice for others in communities throughout Minnesota, especially in the past couple of years. I’ve seen it firsthand,” said Council Chair Joe Serbus, whose wife, Doreen, has worked in health care for more than 40 years. “This campaign is an investment in value-added soybean products and the selfless health care professionals who keep us safe and healthy.”
A step above the rest
In 2020, Skechers released its GO line of footwear, which uses soybean oil to improve grip, stability, and durability. Skechers is using the same checkoff-supported technology featured in Goodyear Tire Company’s line of sustainable soy-based tires, which incorporated soy into its rubber technology.
Kurt Stockbridge, Skecher’s vice president of Product Development and Innovation, said the company and the soybean checkoff are stepping up to create a superior shoe and reduce their environmental footprints.
“Discovering ways to make product more sustainable is top of mind for Skechers,” Stockbridge said. “Though we were aware of the sustainable qualities of soybean oil, we were surprised to learn what the oil could do to improve our outsole rubber performance.”
For each dollar Polk County soybean farmers pay toward checkoff resources, growers receive an estimated $12.33 in return value. Today, more than 1,000 commercially available products – ranging from shoes to machinery lubricants to asphalt – use commodity and high oleic soybean oil.
“Once that soybean hits the mill, it’s local, it’s national – it’s everywhere,” said Belinda Burrier, a United Soybean Director who helped oversee the partnership with Skechers. “The money farmers make back on the checkoff is fantastic.”
Follow the Stepping Up social media campaign at #SoySteppingUp and by visiting mnsoybean.org/stepping-up.
