Premiums For Non-GM Soybeans Require Clearing a Few Hurdles

Out of the 200,000 bushels of soybeans crushed each day by South Dakota Soybean Processors (SDSP), a few thousand are non-GM (non-genetically modified). In this edition of the Soybean Pod, the company’s senior procurement manager, Kari VanderWal, explains what it takes to supply that daily demand for soybeans grown without traits developed through genetic modification. Growing non-GM soybeans is not without challenges, but there are rewards. “Right now, we're looking at around $2.50 (per bushel) premium that they can earn if they decide to do that,” says VanderWal. “If we put that down to dollars per acre, it's $115 to $150 per acre profit that they could make.”