INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) hosted more than a dozen soybean buyers from China in August for agricultural tours throughout the state. The Chinese delegation made their way to the Hoosier State after attending 2026 Soy Connext in Chicago, which is an annual export-focused conference organized by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). Soy Connext attracts more than 800 attendees from over 60 countries every year.

While in Indiana, the Chinese delegation visited Fischer Food Grade and Seed in Shelbyville, the Chris Eck family farm in Boggstown, and Bunge Soy Processing in Morristown. The tour ended with the delegation eating food cooked in high oleic soybean oil during a baseball game at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Eck, who is a volunteer director on the ISA board, explained that there is no substitute for building relationships. “When trade is difficult and competitive, relationships become more important,” he said. “By having the delegation at our farm and local businesses, we’re able to show what we do best. We produce quality products, grown sustainably at a competitive price. The delegation was able to see it with their own eyes, and that matters in a competitive market.”

Soy Connext is among the key export events by USSEC. This year’s event boasted record attendance of more than 800 international participants from 67 countries. Trade with China was a primary focus during this year’s conference with more than 30 Chinese customers represented.

U.S. soybean exports – including whole soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil – are projected to grow by 5 percent in the 2026-27 marketing year. This increase is being driven by increased demand across more markets and a projected return-to-normal demand from China, historically the top customer for U.S. soybeans.

The USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate projects China’s soybean imports at 115 million metric tons in the 2026-27 marketing year, which would set a record.

We’re seeing China’s purchases return closer to normal and other destinations continuing to grow,” said USSEC CEO Jim Sutter. “This is a good place to be. That’s not a coincidence – it’s what happens when you keep showing up. Even when there were trade issues in various places, or in the worst case when trade stopped, USSEC never stopped engaging with our international partners. That persistence combined with the reliability, quality and value U.S. Soy delivers, kept the door open and is what’s driving this growth today.”

According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Hoosier farmers planted more than 5 million acres of soybeans this year. Indiana annually produces more than 330 million bushels of soybeans worth more than $4 billion. Indiana is the fourth-largest, soybean-producing state in America.

Visit www.ussec.org for details about U.S. Soy export efforts. For more information about ISA, visit www.incornandsoy.org.