National Soybean Research Laboratory
Announcement Archives

In case you missed our past announcements when they was first posted on the site, we've archived the postings below. They are bookmarked by NSRL area General Production Nutrition International

General

University of Illinois International Week- April 8-14(April 2013)

Celebrate all things international during the week of April 8-14, 2013 on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. International Week at Illinois is comprised of a series of educational, cultural and recreational events designed to foster interest in our global community. Coordinated by International Programs and Studies and a cross-campus organizing committee, the goal of International Week is to raise awareness about the breadth of international education, activities and resources at Illinois. We invite students, faculty, staff, and the Champaign-Urbana community to join us in celebrating international education at Illinois. The promotional flyer detailing the daily events is found HERE

National Soybean Research Laboratory hosts delegation from Vladivostok(November 2012)
During November 2012, the National Soybean Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois hosted scientists from Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in Vladivostok, Russia. 
Professor Tatyana Dolgova, Head of the Scientific, School of Biomedicine and Svetlana Minenko, Project Administrator focused on food nutrition and biomedicine. The Russian visitors were impressed with the ingenuity regarding incorporating soy into cultural recipes and menu items. Dolgova and Minenko have high hopes for future collaborations between the FEFU and NSRL. For the full press release with details, click HERE.

 

Come learn about Processing at Illinois! Monday, December 3
1-4 p.m.(November 2012)
Open to all ACES faculty, staff, students and other invited guests

Contact Greg Knott at gknott63@illinois.edu for further information. A brochure about Processing at Illinois: Food, Fiber, Food, and Fuel is available HERE.

Production

New ILLINI brand Soybean Variety Now Available(March 2013)
Illinois farmers deserve to have choices and the new ILLINI brand soybean varieties developed at the University of Illinois and sold by Williamsfield Seed Company LLC are conventional varieties with excellent yield potential. This will give farmers new genetics that they can use to capture premiums paid for growing conventional varieties.“Investment in breeding programs at the University of Illinois by soybean industry stakeholders including the Illinois Soybean Association, have accelerated the process of bringing much-needed, high performing conventional varieties to Illinois soybean fields,” says Brian Diers, crop sciences professor and soybean breeder at the University of Illinois. “Their investments have allowed us to use modern genetic technology such as marker-assisted selections in the development of new varieties. The ILLINI variety gives farmers options and is certainly worth considering for the 2013 growing season.”

The full article is available HERE.

 

Soybean Cyst Nematode Brochure Available(January 2013)
An informative brochure describing how producers can increase soybean yields by controlling populations of SCN in their fields is now available HERE.Information about what is an SCN type, how to select apprpriate soybean varieties based on a field's egg count, and tips on how to use VIPS to assist in variety selection are outlined in this useful brochure.

Determining the Viability of Soybean Rust Spores(December 2012)

The Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center was recently acknowledged in a College of ACES report about research on how to know if rust spores found in fields were living or dead. The article can be found HERE.

 

Two publications in highly revered journals, Science Express and Nature (November 2012)

1.  Strengthening a billion dollar gene in soybean. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) does hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage each year. Matt Hudson and Brian Diers, crop sciences researchers at the University of Illinois and Andrew Bent at the University of Wisconsin, think they may have found a way to strengthen plant resistance. The research has just been published in Science Express. Funded by the Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center. “Copy Number Variation of Multiple Genes at Rhg1 Mediates Nematode Resistance in Soybean”. Matthew Hudson, et al.  www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/10/10/science.1228746

2.  Discovery reveals an unprecedented plant resistance mechanism against a pathogen. The mechanistic knowledge of the resistance gene can be readily exploited to improve nematode resistance of soybean, an increasingly important global crop. Supported by checkoff and federal funding. Published in Nature.  Khalid Meksem et al. “A soybean cyst nematode resistance gene points to a new mechanism of plant resistance to pathogens”
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vnfv/ncurrent/full/nature11651.html

 

Corn and Soybean Classics(January 2012)
University of Illinois Extension is hosting its annual Corn and Soybean Classics throughout the state.  Make plans to attend a meeting!

Jan. 10 2012-Mt Vernon

Jan. 11 2012-Springfield

Jan. 12 2012-Champaign

Jan. 16 2012-Bloomington

Jan. 17 2012-Malta

Jan. 18 2012-Moline

Jan. 19 2012-Quincy

Soybean Yield Challenge 2011: and the winners are.....(December 2011)

The results are in for the Illinois Soybean Association Yield Challenge contest, and are available through their website, www.ilsoy.org, but we've linked directly to the announcement HERE.Overall, the participants saw an average 6.45% increase in yield, which was a 1.25% increase over 2010's results. Congratulations to the winners!

Nutrition

Food Security and Food Justice Colloquy(March 2013)
Food security and Food Justice Panel discussion was held on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign on March 28th. The focus of the panel was the importance of food security & food justice specifically looking at topics related to food accessibility, sustainable production, and food assistance programs. The panel was comprised of experts in the field including Dr. Craig Gundersen, NSRL’s Executive Director as well as other leaders in local food pantry support, extension services and academic research on food security. The event brought together experts, students and community members to discuss topics related to food security and food justice in an effort to develop an impactful dialogue and understanding of these issues. Many of the efforts underlined as critical for improving food security and food justice in the U.S. included efforts already underway by NSRL including nutrition education, knowledge and awareness building of healthy foods and balanced diets, community engagement and private industry support. The event showcased the role of various types of agriculture in addressing the food security needs in the United States as well as how academia, industry and the community at-large can play a role in addressing these challenges. 

Webinar: Spotlighting Soybeans in Food: Challenges and Opportunities(February 2012)

The soybean is often touted as the miracle bean, as an agricultural crop and as a food source. But did you know that you can use soy in baking, for egg or milk replacement and as a meat analog? In this program, Dr. Karl Weingartner, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Director of the International Soybean Program (INTSOY) for the National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) will discuss soybeans status as an extremely versatile food and highly nutritious source of protein. He will discuss how the protein in soybeans compares to peanuts, beans, fish and meat.

Registration for this webinar is available through the Soyatech website HERE.

Visiting Research Dietitian Position at NSRL Announced(January 2012)

The National Soybean Research Laboratory seeks a 75% time, 12-month visiting academic professional staff member to provide dietetic research, training, and administrative support for programs undertaken by or supported by the National Soybean Research Laboratory and the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program.

Applications are being accepted through February 24, 2012

The position details and information on how to apply can be found at this University of Illinois Human Resources website: https://jobs.illinois.edu/

Healthy Soy Food Options Coming to the School Lunch Line(January 2012)

The USDA has recently added more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the
school menu for millions of school age children in the U.S. The rulings will also
allow schools to serve tofu, along with other soyfoods and soymilk. Tofu can
be included alongside already served veggie burgers, chicken-less slices on sandwiches, edamame and soynuts in salads, sloppy joes with soy crumble and soymilk. More details about the changes is available from The Soyfoods Association of North America News Release and these USDA links:

USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America’s Schools
Final Rule:Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

International

Processing and Marketing Soybeans for Meat, Dairy, Baking and Snack Applications- June 2-7, 2013(April 2013)

Plans are being finalized for the annual INTSOY course held at NSRL. This intensive, five-day course is designed for technical, plant management, marketing, quality control, and research personnel interested in promoting private sector expansion of soybean foods in the international market. Participants will receive training in soybean processing and utilization at the INTSOY facilities and lectures will be held in the National Soybean Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois. There is still time to register and make plans to attend this lively and informative course. Visit the Course Website for more details and information about the agenda, speakers, and how you can attend.

 

Mozambique Chefs Cook with Soy(March 2013)

Very delicious, easy to incorporate and an extremely versatile ingredient were comments made by chefs in Mozambique who recently participated in cooking with soy workshops held at University Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo. Dozens of chefs learned about the health benefits of soy along with the economical advantages to incorporating soy flour, Textured Soy Protein (TSP), soymilk and soybean oil into local cuisine. Chefs whipped up show stopping pãozinho (portuguese rolls) and mouth watering fish matapa and irresistible Mozambique pasta salad enhanced with SOY Peri-Peri. The full article about this workshop is available HERE.

Afghanistan Partner Trained on Soyfood Uses (December 2012)
Fauzia Assifi with the American University of Afghanistan traveled recently through the sponsorshiop of WISHH, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, to the National Soybean Research Laboratory to train with Drs. Marilyn Nash and Karl Weingartner and Scott Buchanan on the value of soy in baking and soy in dairy applications.  Fauzia learned about soy’s functional and nutritional attributes and worked with a range of soy products in Afghani recipes. The training included both lecture and hands-on experiences as well as commercial bakery work in a local retail bakery outlet.  NSRL is a long-term technical partner for WISHH around the world. Fauzia will return to Afghanistan and apply her new soy knowledge to her work with women-led microenterprises throughout the country. 

School Children in Haiti Taste Test Mamba Lespri(November 2012)

As school children in the U.S. settle into their classroom routine and lunch in the school cafeteria, we are reminded that that only half of the children in Haiti can actually afford to go to school and most of them walk 1-2 miles on an empty stomach and return home at noon with the same empty feeling. The National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) at the University of Illinois has partnered with Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) and Edesia,to test a soy-enhanced school snack through a grant awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Micronutrient-Fortified Food Aid Pilot Program (MFFAPP).

This funding opportunity provides resources to introduce and field test new or improved micronutrient-fortified food aid products.  The newly developed food aid product has been designed to meet the energy and nutrient needs of populations served by the McGovern-Dole Food for Education (FFE) Program, also a program of the USDA. The goal of the grant is to find new nutritional products that are cost effective for the targeted beneficiaries. For more information about the product, click HERE. For more about NSRL's work on this project, click HERE.

NSRL at the Illinois Commodity Conference(November 2012)
Watch for NSRL at the Illinois Commodity Conference in Bloomington IL, November 20, 2012. We'll be there showcasing NSRL's soy sustainability work with chef training and meat processing in Africa and nutrition fairs in Haiti.

Fighting Hunger with Soy: Central America(January 2012)
NSRL has released a new YouTube Video Fighting Hunger with Soy: Central America highlighting how soy used in Central America is making a difference, with protein solutions in early childhood nutrition and school feeding programs, and microenterprise development.

National Soybean Research Laboratory • 1101 W. Peabody Drive • Urbana, IL 61801 • 217-244-1706