Corey Goodhue on his farm near Carlisle. (Photo credit: Iowa Soybean Association/Joclyn Bushman)
Soy for the World
March 31, 2025
By Jeff Hutton
Editor’s note: This story was assigned more than one month prior to President Donald Trump’s freezing of USAID program funding. As of press time, program funding was still frozen, and shipments from Heartland Goodwill Enterprises were paused.
Iowa soybean producers, ag processors and Heartland Goodwill Enterprises lifting up those in need
From their farm fields across the state, to those in need, soybean producers in Iowa are cultivating positive connections around the globe.
Through the efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and their partners including soybean producers, processors like ADM and AGP, and Heartland Goodwill Enterprises (HGE) in Coralville, soy oil is helping to lift up and feed hungry people across the globe.
Making a difference
USAID, an independent agency of the U.S. government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance, is distributing the precious liquid to hungry people in places in which most Iowans
are unfamiliar.
USAID’s mission is to bridge the divide between the United States and foreign vistas where hunger is prevalent. It’s also an opportunity to build relationships between the U.S. and other countries.
Spike Staebler, manager of the oil plant facility operated by HGE, says the work being done is important.
“Our work has local, national and international impact,” says Staebler. “Vegetable oil packaged by Goodwill supports the humanitarian work of the World Food Program. Their food aid efforts touch more than 80 countries and 80 million people who are food insecure each year. The World Food Program also provides food assistance to those affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.”
Staebler says AbilityOne, one of the largest sources of employment in the United State for people who have significant disabilities, contracts to package Iowa soybean oil for the USDA’s international and domestic food aid program.
HGE purchases oil from ADM and AGP and packages that soy oil in 4 liter steel cans and distributes it to USAID.
“Programs like this help ensure our farmers have a resource to sell their crops,” he says. “We purchased, packaged and shipped over 6,300 metric tons of soybean oil in 2024 that was purchased from ADM Des Moines and AGP Missouri. The operation also provides meaningful jobs that help develop skills in food manufacturing that can be used in all manufacturing environments.”
Cogs in the machinery
Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) board members Corey Goodhue of Carlisle and Dave Struthers of Collins share roles in this international endeavor as they market their soybeans through ADM and AGP.
“We think about having the power of local markets for farmers and our local markets’ ability to use our incredible infrastructure (inland waterways, rail), and productive land to access to the global markets,” says Goodhue. “We can feed people nutritious food.”
He says global trade is at the heart of these humanitarian efforts; it’s a way to help those who live in abject poverty survive.
Goodhue recognizes he is just one small cog in the machinery of making a difference, but it’s something he’s proud to participate in.
“I’ve been lucky to see the impact of what U.S. soybeans has had on the world, and it’s humbling,” he says.
Goodhue doesn’t take for granted the privilege to farm across Iowa’s farm fields and provide food for people in his own backyard or across the world.
“One of the high points is knowing the power of global free trade and helping people so they’re not worrying whether or not they’re going to eat,” he says.
Struthers says delivering bushel after bushel to operators like ADM, is rewarding.
“We know hunger is a problem worldwide, especially outside of this country,” he says. “It’s humbling to know we’re blessed here to have productive soils and a productive environment to help feed people around the world, especially for those who don’t have the means to purchase it in certain situations.”
Struthers doesn’t think about the humanitarian efforts when he’s planting or harvesting, but when there’s a pause in his schedule, he gives thanks.
“Especially when you gather with family at Thanksgiving or Christmas and look at your blessings, then I get introspective and think about those things,” he says.
“That little bean seed I put in the ground affects so many people — it feeds people, it feeds livestock, produces oil and meal and that goes overseas … it’s gratifying that we’re able to produce bountiful crops and help more than just ourselves,” Struthers says.
Both Struthers and Goodhue say soy oil provides the calories and beneficial nutrients lacking in the diets of hungry people.
“Being able to help Heartland Goodwill Enterprises, well I’m just a small part in this, but it takes all these small parts together to make things happen,” Struthers says.
Contact Jeff Hutton at jhutton@iasoybeans.com
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