Now, we've made our first sale and we see real opportunity for the future. Indiana soybean farmers have invested checkoff dollars in projects that are working to promote the use of high protein U.S. soybean meal in several nations including Turkey. With a growing population of 65 million consumers, Turkey's poultry industry is expanding to meet increased consumer demand for improved diets. Those factors create the need for higher quality poultry feed in Turkey, higher protein feeds that, for the most part, must be imported. Robert Williams, a farmer from Poseyville, Ind., who serves as ISB Chairman and a director for the United Soybean Board, believes Turkey has significant potential for U.S. soybean farmers.
Turkey is a fast growing, populated area.
They are consuming large amounts of meat. So, we expect this business will continue growing. Rising exports of soybean meal to Turkey and the rest of the Middle East would be welcome news for Indiana soybean farmers. And, the trend does appear to be in the right direction. This past marketing year, total U.S. soybean meal exports to Turkey reached the equivalent of over 15 million bushels, an increase of 150 percent from a year earlier.