NCI Hosts U.S. Soy and the Value of Essential Amino Acids (EAA) Course | June 1-5, 2026

Participants at International Feed Corporation

The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) hosted its U.S. Soy and the Value of Essential Amino Acids (EAA) course from June 1-5, 2026. The course was held in conjunction with the American Soybean Association (ASA) and WISHH (World Initiative for Soy in Human Health) and was sponsored by the North Dakota Soybean Council (NDSC). The purpose of the course was to provide in-depth training on the value and use of U.S. soybeans, particularly in relation to essential amino acids. This course began in Minneapolis, MN, and ended at the Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, ND, with various tour stops throughout Minnesota and North Dakota. There were 8 participants in attendance from Kazakhstan, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tajikistan.

Day one began on the campus of the University of Minnesota (UMN) with welcomes from both NCI and WISHH. Seth Naeve and Joeseph Halbur from the UMN presented on an introduction to essential amino acids in animal diets and essential amino acids in swine and poultry diets. The morning wrapped up with a presentation on soybean processing — defat versus full fat from Isaac Salfer from the UMN. After lunch, the course traveled to the CHS Barge Loading Facility in Savage, MN for a short presentation about their facility and then a tour. Afterwards, the course visited CHS Headquarters in Inver Grove Heights, MN for a presentation and discussion from CHS. The day concluded with a presentation and open discussion by Merus, LLC at their location in Eden Prairie, MN.

Touring CHS Barge Loading Facility

Day two of the course started with a tour of the BNSF Container Loading Yard, where participants learned about their transportation systems and the automatic processes that allow them to operate 24/7, 365 days a year. The morning continued with a presentation at the International Feed Corporation, where their team discussed their international capabilities and participants enjoyed lunch and conversation with International Feed staff. The final stop of the day was Ag Transfer, a transloading facility which is a subsidiary of Stone Arch Commodities in Minneapolis, MN. Participants then traveled to Fargo for the remainder of the course.

Day three started at NCI’s Feed Mill with an overview of the soybean production in the Midwest from the North Dakota Soybean Council. Participants then went on a tour of the NCI Feed Mill learning about our capabilities and uses. The morning continued at NCI with a presentation on North Dakota soybean breeding and production by Dr. Carrie Dottey from NDSU. Morgan Lloyd from Green Bison Soy Processing wrapped with the morning sharing more about Green Bison. After lunch, participants traveled to the North Dakota Soybean Processors Plant where they learned about the chemistry and engineering behind soybean crushing before taking a quick tour of the processing plant.

Soybean farm tour thanks to ND Soybean Council

Day four began with a presentation on the economic benefits of higher essential amino acids in U.S. soybeans from Matthew Clarke and Lesley Nernberg from Lighthouse Agri Solutions. The remainder of the morning was spent with presentations with Dr. Frayne Olson from NDSU, on an introduction to commodity future markets and how cash and future markets interact. Participants listened to a lunch presentation from Rob Prather, WISHH consultant, on better communication with U.S. exporters when contracting. After lunch, the course departed for an afternoon of tours. The first stop was at Minn-Kota Ag Products in Mooreton, ND, learning about the ins and outs of their operation, and finally ending the day with a soybean farm tour.

Day five was the last day of the course and began with presentations from NCI on NIR data and results from soybean samples and about the U.S. soybean grading system. Tom D’Alfonso from USSEC then discussed the challenge and solution to handling variation of amino acids in feed ingredients. The morning wrapped up with a presentation on feed formulation software by Peter Schott of DATACOR. Lunch included staff and board members from North Dakota Soybean that had the opportunity to visit with participants. Bob Sinner from SB&B Foods presented on ports and container loading, which was the final presentation of the course. The course officially concluded with the awarding of certificates afterwards.

NCI would like to thank ASA/WISHH and the North Dakota Soybean Council for their support in making this course possible.

To view and reigster for upcoming courses, visit www.northern-crops.com/courses.