With the successful Stepping Up: From Farm to Frontline campaign having completed its first leg, the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (MSR&PC) was left with big shoes to fill. The Council decided the best way to take the next steps and make a bigger impact on communities through promoting the “miracle bean” was to dedicate more checkoff resources to the campaign but with a twist.
This year, Stepping Up is dedicated to giving back to any organization or entity in Minnesota where the local county boards see a need. Minnesota’s organized county soybean boards are donating to schools, homeless shelters, fire departments, students in need, and organizations that impact their communities.
Polk County Corn and Soybean Growers, in partnership with MSRPC, which directs the state’s soybean checkoff resources, continue the Stepping Up campaign to promote the value-added uses of soybeans and make community connections. This spring, Polk County soybean farmers donated 15 pairs to Fosston Essentia Health and 15 pairs to RiverView Health in Crookston. The clinics also received shoes from Polk County soybean farmers in 2022.
“We chose RiverView Health in Crookston and Essentia Health in Fosston because we wanted to give more of their employees a chance to have a pair of Skechers as a ‘thank you’ for all they do,” Board Director Wayne Olson said. The continuation of the Stepping Up campaign aims to inform more consumers on the value that soybeans bring to the market, along with how versatile the crop is. Minnesota farmers also want to honor groups in their communities that are making a difference.
“We are thankful the Polk County Corn and Soybean Growers Association chose to donate this unique line of shoes to members of the RiverView Health team. The delivery of these gifts was an excellent way to wrap up our celebration of National Hospital Week,” Director of Marketing and Community Relations Stacy Bruggeman said.
In the summer of 2022, more than 53 counties around Minnesota participated in the first Stepping Up campaign. In 2022 alone, Minnesota farmers and the soybean checkoff donated nearly 3,000 pairs of Skechers soy-based shoes across 120 Minnesota healthcare facilities. “The Council felt the drive to provide more funds to continue Stepping Up after seeing the impact on the recipients,” MSR&PC Chair Joe Serbus said. “Healthcare workers were thankful and appreciative of the gesture last summer, so we chose to continue to spread our message on soybean versatility and the joy the shoes bring to the recipients.”
Big Value
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.
By using soybean oil in Skechers’ GO line, Goodyear’s tire compound reduces petroleum-based use, ultimately cutting energy consumption, and weight and promoting sustainability while increasing efficiency.
For each dollar soybean farmers pay toward checkoff resources, Polk County growers receive an estimated $12.34 in the return value. More than 1,000 commercially available products–ranging from shoes to machinery lubricants to asphalt–use commodity and high oleic soybean oil.
Learn more about Stepping Up by visiting mnsoybean.org/stepping-up.
