Jim Martin*

United Soybean Board

5400 W. 84^th Terrace

Prairie Village KS 66207

Phone: (913)652-6969

Fax: (913)383-2329

E-mail: jmartin@omnitechintl.com

Soybeans have quietly surpassed corn to become the largest US crop in total acreage. The United Soybean Board is a farmer-funded checkoff organization which provides financial and technical support for research and commercialization of new processes and products made from soy. Over three hundred new non-food products have been launched in the past five years. This paper will examine the US and world supply of soybeans, detail the processing steps currently used to extract oil and protein products and show how added value is derived today. A critical look at the millions of pounds and growing supply of low value by-products and waste products will challenge the bioprocessing research community to develop new strategies and new processes for deriving commercially viable fuels and chemicals. Areas where bioprocessing research might address identified technical hurdles and processing needs will be discussed.