A 2012 Survey Of Soybean Producer Attitudes for the United Soybean Board 1

Methodology The Tarrance Group completed a telephone survey of U.S. soybean farmers nationally on behalf of the United Soybean Board. N=1,004 soybean farmers throughout the United States –Additional oversample interviews included N=100 farmers in the South region, N=102 Arkansas farmers, N=178 Illinois farmers, N=121 Indiana farmers, N=151 Iowa farmers, N=152 Maryland farmers, N=162 Michigan farmers, N=203 Minnesota farmers, N=84 Mississippi farmers, N=140 Nebraska farmers, N=149 North Carolina farmers, N=179 North Dakota farmers, N=314 Ohio farmers and N=165 South Dakota farmers. Interviews were distributed and weighted to reflect the population of soybean producers nationally based on the 2007 Ag Census data. –85% currently growing soybeans –15% grown soybeans within the past two years Margin of error + 3.1% Responses to this survey were gathered January 30 – February 20,

Thinking about the future—say three years from now—do you think that the soybean industry will get better, get worse or remain the same as it is now? (Split Sample Version A) Q1A 3

Thinking about the future – say three years from now – do you think that your operation will get better, get worse, or remain the same as it is right now? (Split Sample Version B) Q1B 4

How familiar would you say that you are with the details and specifics of the national Soybean Checkoff Program administered by the United Soybean Board? Q2 5 Note: Question was split sampled in 2011

Do you support or oppose the Soybean Checkoff Program? Q3 6

Impact of Checkoff Familiarity on Checkoff Support CheckoffSupportOpposeUnsure Total78%11%10% Very Familiar81%16%3% Somewhat Familiar84%9%7% Not at all Familiar60%15%26% Q2 - Q3 7

How much of a positive impact would you say the Soybean Checkoff Program has on your bottom line profitability? 2012 Mean Score: 5.38 Q4 8

How well do you think this phrase describes the Soybean Checkoff Program? “Progress Powered by U.S. Farmers” 2012 Mean Score: Q5

The Checkoff Program has been in place for twenty years. Thinking about everything that you have seen, read, or heard about the Checkoff, and your own experiences with the Checkoff – Do you feel the Checkoff Program has been a good deal for soybean farmers? Q6 10

Do you think the Soybean Checkoff Program has helped to expand or develop new international markets for U.S. grown soybeans? Q7 11

And what foreign region or country do you think has become a new or expanded market for U.S grown soybeans as a result of the efforts of the Soybean Checkoff Program? (Asked of N=857, or 85.4% of total sample) Q8.1 12

And what foreign region or country, besides China, do you think has become a new or expanded market for U.S grown soybeans as a result of the efforts of the Soybean Checkoff Program? (Asked of N=473, or 47.1% of total sample) Q8.2 13

Do you think that the production research funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program has helped develop any advances or improvements in soybean production techniques? Q9 14

What production research advances do you think have been developed as a result of production research funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program? (Asked of N=759, or 75.6% of total sample) Q10 15

Do you think that research on new uses funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program has helped to develop any new uses for soybeans? Q11 16

What new uses do you think have been developed as a result of research funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program? (Asked of N=865, or 86.1% of total sample) Q

What new uses, besides biodiesel, do you think have been developed as a result of research funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program? (Asked of N=246, or 24.5% of total sample) Q

Specific Knowledge of Soybean Issues Q8, Q10, Q12 19

Q3 & Q8, Q10, Q12 SupportOpposeUnsure Total78%11%10% Knows Three93%3%5% Knows Two83%8%9% Knows One71%18%11% Knows None46%28%26% Specific Knowledge of Soybean Issues versus Support for Checkoff 20

Please tell me which one of these areas or priorities you believe is most important to your long term bottom line. Q13.1 Note: 1) Two response choices were dropped in 2011, and “industrial” was added to “developing new industrial uses” 2) One new response choice was added in 2012 and “developing seed trait varieties” was broke into two choices 21

Please tell me which one of these areas or priorities you believe is least important to your long term bottom line. Q

Are you currently using biodiesel in your farming operation? Q14 23

Have you used biodiesel at any time in the past three years in your farming operation? (Asked of N=586, or 58.4% of total sample) Q15 24

Do you know the protein and oil content of the soybeans you planted last crop year? Q16 25

How important is protein and oil content in your decision of which beans to raise? Q17 26

I would like to read you a statement that some farmers from this part of the country agree with and others disagree with. Please listen as I read the statement and tell me if you agree or disagree. “I would be able to get a higher price per bushel for the soybeans I will grow this year if the protein and oil content of my beans were higher.” Q18 27

The steady decline in the compositional quality of U.S soybeans, including low protein and low oil content, reduces the amount an average US soybean producer is paid by an estimated fifteen (15) cents per bushel. How helpful would it be for future decisions on which variety to plant if at the point of delivery you were told how much the protein and oil content in your beans reduced the amount you were paid? (Split Sample Version A) Q19A 28

The steady decline in the compositional quality of U.S soybeans, including low protein and low oil content, reduces the amount an average US soybean producer is paid by an estimated fifteen (15) cents per bushel. How helpful would it be for future decisions on which variety to plant if at the point of delivery you were able to compare the exact protein and oil content of your beans against the desired minimum percentage of protein and oil content? (Split Sample Version B) Q19B 29

How accurate would you say that this statement is, based on your own experiences? “The market for soybeans is constantly expanding, and there is no doubt that U.S. soybean farmers will be able to sell all of the beans they produce for the foreseeable future.” (Split Sample Version B) Q20B 30

How accurate would you say that this statement is, based on your own experiences? “U.S. soybean farmers have no problems selling all of the beans they raise every year, so there is no need to worry about protein and oil content.” (Split Sample Version A) Q20A 31

How much control do you feel you have over the protein and oil content of the soybeans you produce? 2012 Mean Score: 3.58 Q21 32

Being as specific as you can, what would you say is the single most important reason why you do not feel you have control over the protein and oil content of the soybeans you produce? (Asked of N=558, or 55.6% of total sample) Q22 Open-Ended ResponsesPercent (%) YIELD: Priority on yield, paid for yield 13% NO PRICE INCENTIVE: Paid same price regardless of protein and oil 9% POINT OF SALE: Not tested at point of sale, Elevator/buyer does not differentiate or care about content, Sold together 8% MARKET: Not a demand, Protein and oil are special market, Not priority for buyer/market, Distance to market 5% WEATHER & GEOGRAPHY: Impacts protein and oil, impacts varieties available 14% GENETICS NOT PRODUCTION: Determined by genetics of seed, Farmer cannot influence/control through production 7% LACK OF INFORMATION: Information not made available when buying seed, Protein and oil not rated on bags/descriptions, Information not presented by dealer 15% COMPANIES & DEALERS: Seed companies and dealers have control, grow dealer recommendations, companies breed genetics 13% SEED AVAILABLE: Just buy the seed and variety that is available 5% INTEREST: Not interested, don’t care, don’t know enough about protein and oil 4% Other 3% Don’t know, nothing specific 4% Q22 33

Would you favor or oppose moving to a system that would calculate a “component price” for each load of beans based on the protein and oil level of each load, as a way to raise the level of protein and oil content in U.S. grown beans while making sure that farmers are fairly compensated? (Split Sample Version A) Q23A 34

Would you favor or oppose moving to a system that would calculate a “component value” for each load of beans based on the protein and oil level of each load, as a way to raise the level of protein and oil content in U.S. grown beans while making sure that farmers are fairly compensated? (Split Sample Version B) Q23B 35

If a component price system were put in to place, do you think that it would have – a positive impact or a negative impact – on the price you would receive for your beans compared to last year, or would it not have any impact on you, personally? (Split Sample Version A) Q24A 36

If a component price system were put in place, do you think that more technologies will be available to U.S. Soybean farmers to increase your profitability in the future? (Split Sample Version A) Q25A 37

I would like to read you a statement that some soybean farmers agree with and others disagree with. Please listen carefully and tell me, based on your own experience whether you agree or disagree – “Every year the freedom I need to profitably operate my farm is increasingly threatened by outside influences ranging from more government regulation to environmental challenges to transportation issues and more.” Q26 38

Have you seen, read, or heard anything in recent months about processors closing down plants around the country? Q27 39

Have you personally experienced any challenges with your own operation in recent years due to a processor shutting down a plant? (Asked of N=169, or 16.8% of total sample) Q28 40

How worried or concerned, if at all, are you about processors closing their plants or moving them further away from your farm in the near future? (Asked of N=983, or 97.9% of total sample) Q29 41

There is a growing controversy in the U.S. involving animal production methods. Some animal rights organizations have increased their efforts in several states to use elections or the legislative process to change the production methods used by farmers to raise animals for food. Would you favor or oppose a law with the purpose of prohibiting the confinement of farm animals in any manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs? Q30 42

Some farmers say that the Checkoff program may have been necessary in the past, but that changes in the soybean market and industry have made it so that the program is not really necessary any more, and that discontinuing the Checkoff would not have any real impact on most farmers, because there are others already providing the same services. Other farmers say that the Checkoff program has been a good investment for the soybean industry and that if there wasn’t a Checkoff program to help expand new markets and fund the research on new products and production techniques, that many farmers and the industry as a whole would suffer. Which view comes closest to your own? Q31 43

Impact of Checkoff Familiarity on Checkoff Investment Checkoff Good Investment No Longer Necessary Unsure Total72%23%3% Very Familiar77%21%0% Somewhat Familiar75%21%3% Not at all Familiar62%31%5% Q2 - Q31 44

Do you recall receiving a publication recently by the name of “Beyond the Bean?” Q32 45

Do you find the articles in “Beyond the Bean” to be -- more helpful, just as helpful, or less helpful -- than those in other agriculture-related magazines that you receive and read? (Asked of N=790, or 78.7% of total sample) Q33 46

Would you read an “electronic version” of “Beyond the Bean” that could be sent to you by , available on a website or available on a mobile device? (Asked of N=790, or 78.7% of total sample) Q34 47

Have you used any of these new communication tools or any other communications tools? (Multiple Responses Allowed) D1 48

When you watch television, do you watch RFD-TV? D2 49

How often do you watch RFD-TV shows? (Asked of N=527, or 52.5% of total sample) D3 50

When you need timely agricultural information, how do you prefer to receive communications about soybean production? D4

AGE D5 52

ACREAGE FOR SOYBEANS ONLY D6 53

OPERATION SIZE D7 54

Do you use forward contracts, futures, and other market risk management tools, other than government or crop insurance programs, to reduce your exposure to market fluctuation and possible revenue loss? D8 55

Do you use forward contracts, futures, and other market risk management tools, other than government or crop insurance programs, to reduce your exposure to market fluctuation and possible revenue loss? D8 56

Is animal production a significant part of your overall farming operation? D9 57

Is animal production a significant part of your overall farming operation? D9 58

Do you produce another crop like corn, hay or wheat that is a significant part of your overall farming operation? D10 59