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Illinois Soybean Sustainability Protects Your Profitability

	Illinois Soy describes how Illinois soybean farmers are achieving a number of sustainability performance goals. View the flipbook or download the PDF.

In a world demanding sustainable practices that are profitable, soybeans bring Illinois soybean farmers and buyers a host of environmental and economic benefits that contribute to their long-term success.

For Illinois growers, sustainable soybeans add to the bottom line and protect the environment by:

• Using reduced tillage to protect soil and water while assuring long-term productivity
• Reducing fuel use and saving fuel costs
• Fixing nitrogen to reduce fertilizer costs in future crops
• Improving domestic and global crop marketability
• Reducing  environmental impacts

For Illinois communities, sustainable soybeans provide economic benefits by:

• Maintaining  economically healthy farm businesses
• Providing jobs that pump dollars into local economies
• Increasing tax revenues
• Supporting productivity of other local businesses -- livestock operations, biofuels plants, food producers and others -- that use soybeans as a key ingredient
• Supplying high-quality, low-cost food

For industries that use them as a key ingredient, sustainable soybeans make business sense by:

• Increasing marketability to customers demanding sustainable production methods
• Helping channel members achieve corporate sustainability goals
• Providing a steady supply of a natural, renewable resource
• Supplying healthful oils and proteins to increasingly health-conscious consumers
• Improving feed efficiency and product quality in livestock operations
• Enabling biodiesel production that returns 5.4 units of bioenergy for every energy unit used in its production

Our Sustainability Commitment

Illinois soybean farmers have a long history of increasing production while decreasing environmental impacts. By using practices that minimize those impacts while delivering social and economic benefits, farmers show their dedication to delivering a dependable supply of food and to continuous improvement in sustainably meeting marketplace needs.

Learn More

	Definition Sustainable soybean farming means taking care of today's needs while making sure future generations can take care of their needs.		Local and Global Benefits Sustainability is a major concern beyond Illinois, impacting people locally and globally.
	Smaller Footprints Illinois soybean farmers have a long track record of increasing production while decreasing environmental impacts from farming.		Greater Returns One of the most important practices soybean farmers are employing is growing improved soybean varieties.
	Additional Resources Please review these helpful links and other materials for more information about sustainability.

Let's Talk

Are you a farmer looking to incorporate additional sustainability practices on the farm? Are you a consumer with questions about the sustainability of Illinois' soybean industry? We can help. Contact us at ilsoy@ilsoy.org. You also can read our press releases and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest information.