URBANDALE, Iowa - Directors, members and staff of the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) visited Capitol Hill on Thursday, March 27, for the 2008 Soy Day on the Hill, filling the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol with displays and information about ISA’s many programs.

As the kickoff event for this year’s “Soy on Your Plate in 2008!” campaign, the day included a soyfoods lunch for more than 300 people. The menu featured black and tan soybean chili, tofu Caesar salad and oatmeal cranberry soy cookies, all of which earned rave reviews.

The purpose of the “Soy on Your Plate” theme is to help consumers realize how important nutrition is to all of us and how soy can play an important role in helping us become healthy and fit.

“It just seems natural to talk about soyfoods when our campaign is ‘What’s on Your Plate in 2008!’” said Linda Funk, executive director of the Soyfoods Council. “Everybody loves good food, but sometimes people have some hesitations about soyfoods. When we have meals like we did today, it really helps people to understand soy can taste great and see how easy it is to incorporate soy into everyday meals. April is Soyfoods Month, so it is great we can kick-off the month with this kind of event.”

Another goal of the day was to show legislators and other patrons the important issues ISA has on its plate these days, including production research, the environmental program, biodiesel, soy transportation, On-Farm NetworkTM research, as well as Acres of Giving to fight hunger and the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program.

“Soy Day on the Hill is a great opportunity for Iowa leaders to see firsthand the variety and value of soy products as well as the variety and value of services offered by the Iowa Soybean Association,” said Carol Balvanz, ISA director of policy and marketing.

“ISA is dedicated to increasing profitability for soybean producers and show that we wisely invest their checkoff dollars,” said Delbert Christensen, ISA director and treasurer, and a soybean and corn grower from Audubon. “Over the past fiscal year, ISA has invested more than $2 million with ISU, resulting in a portfolio of research targeted at limiting soybean yield loss. This day is about helping increase awareness of those efforts.”

In addition to promoting awareness, ISA director and former American Soybean Association President Ron Heck from Perry, added, “We’re here to thank legislators for their support and to show them the positive results. By collecting credible, certified data, we can offer farmers a better understanding of our environment and how to manage their farms.”

Participants felt the day also offered an important opportunity for two-way communication. ISA Director and Secretary Randy Van Kooten, who also serves as chairman of ISA’s Demand Committee, had an interesting visit with a lobbyist regarding a potential area of growth for soybean oil. Afterwards, Van Kooten said, “It’s good for us to meet legislators – and others who are here at the statehouse – and to learn about their issues and how we might address them.”

Randy Olson, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, is heavily involved in working with the legislature to build an infrastructure for biodiesel. His observation of the day was, “It’s important for the legislature and for the community as a whole to see the breadth of activity ISA is involved in because it adds credibility when we advocate for special issues important to biodiesel and soybean farmers generally.”