In conjunction with World Trade Month this May, the American Soybean Association has announced two new members have been appointed to its World Initiative for Soy in Human Health program committee. Soybean growers Heather Feuerstein of Belding, Michigan, and Daniel Adams of Eddyville, Kentucky, join WISHH in support of its work connecting trade and development through global food security. ASA also confirmed past WISHH Chair Gerry Hayden as an ex-officio member.
“U.S. farmers are true brand ambassadors for WISHH and U.S. soy abroad,” said ASA President Daryl Cates. “Adding two committee members who understand the role WISHH plays in diversifying soybean markets is tremendous. I fully expect Heather and Daniel will join Gerry as invaluable voices for WISHH moving forward.”
Feuerstein is part of a fourth-generation farming family and serves as president of the Michigan Soybean Association. She expressed a desire to work more closely with WISHH after having admired the work of the program while serving as an ASA director.
“U.S. agriculture feeds the world, and WISHH emphasizes that by bridging business and development with global food security,” said Feuerstein, who noted she was in part inspired to join WISHH because other soybean growers in her state have been active supporters. Feuerstein took interest after fellow Michigan farmer Doug Darling, who also serves on the WISHH committee, spoke to Latin American soy food business leaders about the sustainable ways U.S. farmers grow soy.
New appointee Adams is likewise eager to highlight the importance soybean trade plays to the U.S. economy and rural farmers. He and his wife, both of whom graduated from the ASA-Corteva Young Leaders program, quickly realized how trade works to diversify markets.
“I’m a first-generation farmer. I started with nothing,” said Adams. “The first year I put out a crop of soybeans, I got $11 a bushel and then the next year $8.70 a bushel. That experience makes me thankful for a program like WISHH that works to diversify the markets for U.S. soy.”
Adams first heard about WISHH from Hayden. “I didn’t know a lot about WISHH,” he explains. “After going to a few meetings, my eyes were opened to the scope of what the program does. From learning about trainings that teach food safety to hearing about the installation of new technology in places like Ghana and Cambodia, my head is still spinning. It is truly amazing.”
WISHH works in 28 countries, contributing to food and feed projects on three different continents. Both Feuerstein and Adams stress their appreciation of how WISHH’s work fuels U.S. soybean growers’ “eyes wide open” approach to exploring new markets for soy.