About Soybean

In 1994, the Office of Research, Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, identified a need for the soybean association offices and organizations to monitor, sort, assimilate, and analyze vast amounts of information related to soybean production, markets, and utilization in a more efficient and organized manner. Many people in many offices around the country are involved in making strategically important decisions about checkoff-funded programs. Coordinating and streamlining the decision support systems across users and decision makers could make the soybean organizations, and the soybean industry in general, more effective, efficient, and profitable.

StratSoy was conceived to fill that need. StratSoy is a state-of-the-art electronic information and communications system on the World Wide Web: users can get text, graphics, audio, and video.

StratSoy is funded in part by the United Soybean Board, which has allocated checkoff dollars to carry out Phase I of the project through the end of 1996. The system is used by staff of state and national soybean organizations. The StratSoy team is working directly with these organizations to ensure that each office can use and provide information to StratSoy.

An electronic communications and information system on the Internet, StratSoy takes advantage of the newest technologies to connect offices of soybean associations and related organizations to each other and to resources around the world. Through StratSoy, each office has electronic mail (e-mail), an instantaneous method for sending messages and document attachments to select audiences. The information system of StratSoy is a two-way design: Offices can send information to StratSoy to be shared with all StratSoy users, and they can browse StratSoy to access the links to soybean information around the world.

Each month, the StratSoy Web site is visited by an increasing number of users from around the world. They are drawn by the diversity of information that can be found on StratSoy: a USB call for research proposals; meeting and conference information; news from the USB, National Soybean Research Laboratory, and state association offices; biodiesel information; market information; updates on agricultural legislation; university and Cooperative Extension Service information; soybean forecast and simulation models; weather data and maps; soybean genome information; library resources; discussion groups; general government information; and much more.

An "Ask an Expert" section allows producers to send a question to experts in such areas as grain market analysis; natural resources economics; soybean utilization; fertility, disease and insect management; swine management and nutrition; soybean production and management; soy and human health; tillage systems, soil compaction, and farm machinery; and seed quality. The question and answer exchange is shared on StratSoy for the benefit of all users.

The StratSoy design team is led by Sarahelen Thompson, Office of Research, Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, and Steven T. Sonka and Darrel L. Good, both with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. Collaborating with them are Floyd Davenport, Illinois Cooperative Extension Service Office of Computer Coordination, and Jim Bob Ward, Texas A&M University Agricultural Market Research Center.

The StratSoy system offers potential for improving coordination among USB, ASA, QSSBs, and state associations through:

Enhanced Communications:

  • Electronic mail (e-mail) -- Direct and instantaneous two-way communications among offices; with producers, members, and other individuals; and with groups. Documents can be sent electronically as attachments to individuals or to groups.

  • Local/regional information -- Each office will have its own area for press releases, calendars of events, and other items they wish to share with StratSoy users.

    Research Database:

    • This searchable database can be used to find out about checkoff-funded research being conducted around the country.

    Information System:

    • StratSoy is providing information and also searching the Internet to link to information and resources on production, utilization, supply and demand, market outlook, strategies, and other topics relevant to the soybean industry. In addition, farmers, researchers, businesses, and others request links to their sites from StratSoy.