A 2013 Survey Of Soybean Producer Attitudes for the United Soybean Board

1. A 2013 Survey Of Soybean Producer Attitudes for the United Soybean Board

2. Methodology • The Tarrance Group completed a telephone survey of U.S. soybean farmers nationally on behalf of the United Soybean Board. • N=1,003 soybean farmers throughout the United States • Additional oversample interviews included N=100 farmers in the South region, N=178 Illinois farmers, N=221 Indiana farmers, N=162 Michigan farmers, N=103 Minnesota farmers, N=90 Mississippi farmers, N=140 Nebraska farmers, and N=214 Ohio 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 February 3 – 24, 2013

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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? Note: Question was split sampled in 2011 Q2

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

7. Impact of Checkoff Familiarity on Checkoff Support Q2 - Q3

8. How much of a positive impact would you say the Soybean Checkoff Program has on your bottom line profitability? 2013 Mean Score: 5.20 Q4

9. Do you think the Soybean Checkoff Program has helped to expand or develop new international markets for U.S. grown soybeans? Q6

10. 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=815, or 81.3% of total sample) Q7.1

11. Do you think that the production research funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program has helped develop any advances or improvements in soybean production techniques? Q8

12. 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=753 , or 75.1% of total sample) Q9

13. Do you think that research on new uses funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program has helped to develop any new uses for soybeans? Q10

14. What new uses do you think have been developed as a result of research funded by the Soybean Checkoff Program? (Asked of N=814, or 81.2% of total sample) Q11.1

15. Specific Knowledge of Soybean Issues Q7, Q9, Q11

16. Specific Knowledge of Soybean Issues versus Support for Checkoff Q3 & Q7, Q9, Q11

17. Please tell me which one of these areas or priorities you believe is most important to your long term bottom line. Note: 1) One new response choice was added in 2012 and “developing seed trait varieties” was broke into two choices 2) “Recapturing soy oil’s food industry” was added to the “trans-fat free” response in 2013 Q12.1

18. Please tell me which one of these areas or priorities you believe is least important to your long term bottom line. Note: 1) “Recapturing soy oil’s food industry” was added to the “trans-fat free” response in 2013 Q12.2

19. Do you know the protein and oil content of the soybeans you planted last crop year? Q13

20. How important is protein and oil content in your decision of which beans to raise? Q14

21. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?“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.” Q15

22. After the elevator or crushing plant, who is your “Number One” Customer? Q17

23. Would you be willing to make changes to the soybeans you plant to protect export markets like China if they demanded soybeans with a higher protein and oil content? Q18

24. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?“Livestock and poultry production is so important to soybean markets that every effort should be made, by the soybean industry, to support the growth of U.S livestock production.” Q19

25. Based on your own experience, do you agree or disagree with this statement?“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.”(Split Sample Version A) Q23A Note: Question was not split sampled in 2011 or 2012

26. Being as specific as you can, what is the single greatest threat from outside influences to your ability to operate profitably?(Asked of N=402, or 40% of total sample) Q23-1

27. Based on your own experience, do you agree or disagree with this statement?“Every year, the aging infrastructure throughout the value chain is having a more negative impact on my profitability.”(Split Sample Version B) Q23B

28. As you may know, seed companies have begun introducing seeds with a new trait called High Oleic which will have improved functionality for soybean oil and eliminate the need for trans-fat labeling in many food applications. How important do you think it is for soybean farmers to use these new seeds to regain lost market share in the vegetable oil market? Do you think it is – Q24

29. If your seed dealer had these seeds available in your desired maturity group plus all the usual agronomic traits and disease packages for your geography, and provided credible yield comparison data, would you be more likely to plant the High Oleic seed or stick with the seed you presently have been using? Q25

30. Which of the following would have the most influence in your decision of whether or not to plant the High Oleic seed? Q26

31. How familiar would you say you are with the term “sustainability” as it relates to the possible requirement for all U.S. farmers to eventually provide documented proof that their commodities are sustainably produced in accordance to accepted international, federal and state conservation, environmental and labor guidelines? Q27

32. As you may already be aware, there is a push for agriculture to become more “sustainable” in its operating practices to meet international guidelines.Have you made changes in how you farm or how you use your land that you think qualifies for meeting the definition of sustainability under international guidelines? Q28

33. 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

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

35. 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=744, or 74.2% of total sample) Q33

36. Do you use a cell phone? IF YES, ASK: In the last year, have you used your cell phone to access information for making decisions on your farm? D1

37. How often would you say that you go "online" to access emails or the internet? D2

38. When you watch television, do you watch RFD-TV? D3

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

40. AGE D5