Soybean Innovation Lab closure impacts local and global farmers

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - Following an Executive Order signed by President Trump, funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been cut. This means dozens of programs, including the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) at the University of Illinois.

Peter Goldsmith, the Director and Principal Investigator at the SIL, got an email on January 27th saying because of an executive order, they needed to cut expenses. Four days later, the university lost access to their federal accounts, and he had to inform his staff that the lab was closing.

"It was so out of the blue and this is something that we as a team and kind of a family have built over the last 12 years," said Goldsmith. "We were having significant impact and were growing, firing on all cylinders until the closure."

Since 2013, the SIL has been responsible for creating and fueling the soybean market in dozens of countries in Africa. Unlike in central Illinois, the plant was not well-known, or frequently grown in the area.

Goldsmith's team used USAID funding to teach people how to grow, process, and prepare soybeans for a variety of uses. Their research showed what varieties of the plant were viable in different countries.

"The mission was straightforward: establish the foundation for the soybean market," said Goldsmith. "We're very much opening the markets and establishing soy as the standard, which is very good for growers. It's also an economic engine. So it's very good to create trading partners, importing US products, equipment and so forth."

The director said it's his team's responsibility to de-risk soybean investments globally. He describes this being the first person to jump into a pool so that everyone watching knows the water is warm enough to enjoy.

But the SIL doesn't just have trade impacts. The team has been researching common soybean diseases in Africa to ensure they have the proper prevention methods if they ever spread domestically.

"We have infrastructure partners and networks to do the research and partnering with the USDA in Africa so that we can study it," said Goldsmith. "We did a lot of genetic analysis, phenotype analysis, resistance experiments ... and we could do it safely in Africa because it exists in Africa."

The program has also helped dozens of U of I students become more well-rounded and develop a better understanding of global markets and cultures. Goldsmith said they weren't just learning agriculture, but also sociological skills regarding working with other cultures.