Could soybeans replace toxic foams used to douse fires to cut down on spraying toxic chemicals?

Cross Plains began to look into creating a PFAS-free, soy-based firefighting foam after being approached by the United Soybean Board.

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“There is a good bit of interest,” said Alan Snipes, CEO of Cross Plains Solutions. He estimated that his company’s product, aptly named SoyFoam, is now being used in 50 fire departments around the country, mostly in the Midwest. That’s not a coincidence: Snipes pointed out that many rural fire departments in the middle of the country depend on volunteer firefighters. “A lot of the volunteers are farmers, and a lot of the farmers grow soybeans,” he said.

The board, whose members are appointed by the US Department of Agriculture, exists to collect one-half of one percent of the market price of every bushel of soybeans sold by US farmers. This congressionally mandated process, called the soybean checkoff program, is used to fund research into new markets for soybeans. 

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In a partnership like the one with Cross Plains, the checkoff program is hoping to create a business opportunity that might help farmers sell more bushels down the line.

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