Ag Progress Days Farm Research Tour to Feature High Oleic Soybeans
STATE COLLEGE, PA (July 14, 2015) –Plenish high oleic soybeans will take the spotlight alongside other cutting-edge research during the Agronomy Farm Research Tour at Ag Progress Days, August 18-20, 2015. The recently announced FDA ban on trans fats has paved the way for a growing market for high oleic soybeans, which produces oil that contains no trans fats and has a nutritional profile similar to olive oil.
“The FDA announced that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out all trans fats in the next three years,” says Dr. Greg Roth, Penn State Professor of Agronomy. “High oleic oil could revolutionize the soy oil industry, so it’s important for growers to learn more about the new Plenish varieties, which are available to Pennsylvania growers.” Recognizing the potential for high oleic soybeans, the United Soybean Board has set a goal of 18 million planted acres of high oleic soybeans by 2023, which is expected to be approximately 30 percent of the soybean-growing acres in the United States.
Not only will visitors to Ag Progress Days see Plenish high oleic beans in the field, they will also have the opportunity to taste food fried in high oleic oil. The Penn State Ag Student Council mushroom booth will make and sell mouthwatering Pennsylvania-grown mushrooms fried in high oleic oil.
The free Farm Research tour, which leaves from the corn crib at the top of Main Street at 2 p.m. each day, will take visitors into the fields of Penn State’s agronomy research farm. In addition to the Plenish soybean plot, the tour will feature variety trials that highlight non-GMO, high yielding Roundup Ready and Liberty Link soybeans. The soybean research is funded, in part, through a grant provided by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.
During the tour, Penn State researchers and Extension educators will also discuss the use of mushroom compost as a sustainable soil amendment for forage crops, as compared to traditional fertilization techniques. And, they will review integrated weed management techniques to manage weeds in agronomic crops. A limited number of tickets are available per tour. Visitors are advised that the tour involves walking and standing when the bus arrives at the tour destination.
Sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College, Pa. The event is designed to showcase the latest in Penn State research, as well as information on best management practices and changing regulations in the agricultural industry, through exhibits, tours and demonstrations.
About the Pennsylvania Soybean Board
The Pennsylvania Soybean Board is a farmer-controlled Board responsible for managing Pennsylvania’s share of funds received from the nationwide Soybean Checkoff program. The funding is available under an assessment program, approved by Congress in 1990, under which soybean farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they receive for their beans at the first point of sale. Funds are used to develop markets, educate consumers, and research new ways to utilize and produce soybeans more efficiently. For more information, visit www.pasoybean.org.
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