(a) Findings

Congress finds that—

(1) soybeans are an important source of nutritious foods that are a valuable part of the human diet and are an important feedstuff for the livestock industry;

(2) the production of soybeans plays a significant role in the economy of the United States in that soybeans are produced by thousands of soybean producers, processed by numerous processing entities, and soybeans and soybean products produced in the United States are consumed by people and livestock throughout the United States and foreign countries;

(3) soybeans and soybean products should be readily available and marketed efficiently to ensure that consumers have an adequate supply of soybean products at a reasonable price;

(4) the maintenance and expansion of existing markets and development of new markets for soybeans and soybean products are vital to the welfare of soybean producers and processors and those concerned with marketing soybeans and soybean products, as well as to the general economy of the United States, and are necessary to ensure the ready availability and efficient marketing of soybeans and soybean products;

(5) there exist established State and national organizations conducting soybean promotion, research, and consumer education programs that are valuable to the efforts of promoting the consumption of soybeans and soybean products;

(6) the cooperative development, financing, and implementation of a coordinated national program of soybean promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information are necessary to maintain and expand existing markets and develop new markets for soybeans and soybean products; and

(7) soybeans and soybean products move in interstate and foreign commerce, and soybeans and soybean products that do not move in such channels of commerce directly burden or affect interstate commerce in soybeans and soybean products.

(b) Policy

Terms Used In 7 USC 6301

  • commerce: includes interstate, foreign, and intrastate commerce. See 7 USC 6302
  • consumer information: means information that will assist consumers and other persons in making evaluations and decisions regarding the purchase, preparation, and use of soybeans or soybean products. See 7 USC 6302
  • individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
  • industry information: means information and programs that will lead to the development of new markets, new marketing strategies, or increased efficiency for the soybean industry, and activities to enhance the image of the soybean industry. See 7 USC 6302
  • marketing: means the sale or other disposition of soybeans or soybean products in any channel of commerce. See 7 USC 6302
  • promotion: means any action, including paid advertising, technical assistance, and trade servicing activities, to enhance the image or desirability of soybeans or soybean products in domestic and foreign markets, and any activity designed to communicate to consumers, importers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, government officials, or others information relating to the positive attributes of soybeans or soybean products or the benefits of importation, use, or distribution of soybeans and soybean products. See 7 USC 6302
  • research: means any type of study to advance the image, desirability, marketability, production, product development, quality, or functional or nutritional value of soybeans or soybean products, including any research activity designed to identify and analyze barriers to export sales of soybeans and soybean products. See 7 USC 6302
  • soybean products: means products produced in whole or in part from soybeans or soybean by-products. See 7 USC 6302
  • soybeans: means all varieties of Glycine max or Glycine soya. See 7 USC 6302
  • State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
  • United States: consist of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See 7 USC 6302

Congress declares that it is in the public interest to authorize the establishment, through the exercise of the powers provided in this chapter, of an orderly procedure for developing, financing through assessments on domestically-produced soybeans, and implementing a program of promotion, research, consumer information, and industry information designed to strengthen the soybean industry’s position in the marketplace, to maintain and expand existing domestic and foreign markets and uses for soybeans and soybean products, and to develop new markets and uses for soybeans and soybean products.

(c) Construction

Nothing in this chapter may be construed to provide for the control of production or otherwise limit the right of individual producers to produce soybeans.