CHS Offers Contract Program to Producers and Elevators for Low Linolenic Trait Soybeans

19/10/06 CHS Inc., a Fortune 500 energy, grains and foods company, is again offering its special contract program to producers and elevators for low linolenic trait soybeans. This year, however, the company has expanded its participation to include seed varieties from both Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

"We're pleased to have additional seed choices for growers to choose from," said Dennis Wendland, senior vice president of oilseed processing for CHS. "This provides a greater opportunity for performance and yield, along with the added premium at delivery to CHS."

Like last year's program, CHS is contracting both through elevators and directly with growers in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa for low linolenic soybean production. The company will pay a $0.40 per bushel premium for the identity-preserved beans upon delivery to the CHS crushing plant in Fairmont, Minn.

Annually, CHS refines more than 85 million bushels of soybeans into vegetable oil for food manufacturer customers. These customers are increasingly interested in oil from soybeans carrying the low linolenic trait due to the reduced presence of trans fats in the oil. These specialty trait beans typically contain less than 3 percent linolenic acid, compared to the 8 percent found in traditional beans. The reduced acid level reduces the need for partial hydrogenation during the refining process, resulting in lower trans fat levels -- an increasingly desirable food choice for consumers.