New Kansas Soybean commissioner celebrates Soy Foods Month 

Anna Unruh, the newest Kansas Soybean commissioner, farms in south-central Kansas with her husband Jason, and she’s no stranger to the benefits of soy. Soy Foods Month is celebrated in April, and as the month wrapped up, she shared her thoughts on the important crop. 

She’s been a member of the American Soybean Association, serving in the 2024-25 class of the Corteva Young Leaders Program with her husband. 

“After that I took one of the Young Leader positions on the Kansas Soybean Association board of directors,” she said. “After a year on the board of directors I have now taken the District 6 seat on the commission side of the Kansas Soybean world.” 

Unruh said the commission—akin to the Checkoff in other commodity groups—works to get accurate information out to consumers and keep demand for all soy products strong. 

“We do this by building relationships with dietetic students from K-State and KU through an Ag Immersion tours, sponsoring farmer socials, having Charlene Patton on WIBW and across the state,” she said. “The checkoff sponsors and conducts nutrition and sustainability research at the national level and communicates that out.” 

Cooking is a big part of Unruh’s life too and soy is a good source of protein in the human diet. She’s cooked with Patton on KAKE, the ABC affiliate out of Wichita, Kansas.  

“It is always a joy to see Charlene,” Unruh said. “The recipes we try on the air I get to sample there and then have enjoyed them at home as well. The most recent episode we made candy bar brownies and my son said, ‘Those were so good, can you make them again…tomorrow?’” 

For her, the recipes are a fun way to incorporate soy foods and even try soy alternatives like tofu or soy based cream cheese. When it comes to protein, soy is a good way to boost intake and help heart health. 

“The American Heart Association recommends 25 grams of soy protein a day for heart health,” she said. “With everyone wanting to hit high protein goals these recipes are a great way to add or substitute with soy to do just that.” 

Unruh said you don’t necessarily have to replace or substitute with soy but instead add to.  

“You can always add edamame to stir fry or add soy protein flour with your regular flour or a soy protein powder to smoothies to boost those protein goals,” she said. 

According to Kansas Soybean, 20% of soy in the world becomes food, whether it’s meal, oil or whole beans. A quarter of soybeans—about 5% globally become traditional soy foods—products like tofu and soy milk. 

Misinformation can be damaging for not only soy, but agriculture as a whole, Unruh said. 

“When people don’t trust the food supply, they miss out on the nutrients and heart healthy food they need,” she said. “Soybean oil also has a qualified heart health claim from the FDA.” 

She said misinformation on social media and influencers who are pushing to get rid of seed oils is not based on fact.  

“Ultra-processed foods have come under scrutiny as well, which determines the nutritional value of food by the number of processing steps that would put tofu in the same category as a twinkie,” she said. “Farmers care for our crops and livestock and want a quality product for the consumer. The noise in the middle makes the consumers confused.” 

Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].