Dear Arkansas Soybean Producer:Welcome to the first annual edition of Soybeans Today. This publication is produced by the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas. It's funded by your checkoff dollars through the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.
The publication is designed to provide you with an easy to read report on the results of checkoff-funded research, to explain how the research benefit you, and to give you a better understanding of how your investment in this program is being used to improve the soybean industry in Arkansas.
I hope you will take a few minutes of you time to read the articles so you can get an idea of the scope of the University of Arkansas' research and Extension programs and what is being done to address your production problems.
As you probably know, the Arkansas soybean checkoff program is part of a national program that affects every producer in the United States. All U.S. soybean producers participate at an equal level.
Half of every dollar you contribute stays in Arkansas. Most of the money that remains in the state is used to fund research and Extension projects through the UofA Division of Agriculture.
In recent years. the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board has allocated 70 percent of 'hese funds to projects designed to improve the profitability of soybean production, 25 percent to basic research and another 5 percent to new and innovative research.
In 1995, soybean checkoff revenue funde 29 different projects at numerous locations around the state. The funding totaled $1.3 million. Although it's a lot of money, producers have earned many times that from research. It's important to note that, considering the weather we had in 1995, much of the research is aimed at improving drought tolerance and dryland soybean production.
I'rn convinced that our investment is paying dividends. Since 1990, the state's average five-year soybean yield has increased 25 percent.
Although higher yields don't automatically guarantee higher profits, higher yields are a key to improved profitability; and soybean researchers are Extension faculty are making great strides in improving the yields of all Arkansas producers.
Still, plenty of challenges remain for us; and your Soybean Promotion Board is realy to meet thse challenges. We will continue to move in the right direction.
I hope that the information in this publication will show you that progress is being made.
Sincerely,
Stanley Reed, Chairman
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board
