South Dakota Soybean Stories: The House that Soy Built Part 2 with Jerry Schmitz
In August 2022, we visited with Jerry Schmitz, Executive Director of the South Dakota Soybean Checkoff and Association. We learned more about his new home build – the House that Soy Built – and the benefits soy products added to the structural integrity, environmental sustainability, and durability of a new home. About a year has passed since then, and Jerry and Sally Schmitz have officially moved into their home, so of course we had to follow up to check out the stunning finished product!
Jerry’s journey with South Dakota Soybean truly started at its inception back in the 1980s. After attending a talk with one of the American Soybean Association (ASA) representatives visiting his area, he teamed up with a group of farmers taking the steps needed to start a South Dakota chapter of the ASA.
Upon starting the chapter, their initial work dealt with securing infrastructure necessary to ship South Dakota soybeans to the west coast to open up international markets. Today, he’s still heavily involved as the Executive Director of SD Soybean, but with 60% of soybean produced in South Dakota being exported to international markets, it’s safe to say their goals and priorities have evolved since the inception of the organization.
As Executive Director, Jerry leads his internal team and board of directors to grow market opportunities and value for South Dakota soybean farmers and enhance South Dakota soybean farmers by investing checkoff dollars into marketing, research, education, and promotional initiatives.
Jerry is known for championing the 1,000+ soybean uses available to today’s consumer, and he truly practices what he preaches as seen with his new home build. He explored soy-based products like paints, flooring, insulation, concrete sealants, and more when working with his contractors on the design and construction of his new home.
Learn more about the work that Jerry does and see the finished product by watching his farmer feature:
