Podcast: Maintaining soybean meal quality across the globe – logistics, sampling and trust matter

31 March 2026

8 minute read

By: Sarah Mikesell

In today’s global poultry industry, soybean meal is far more than a commodity ingredient – it is the nutritional foundation of modern diets. But while nutritionists often focus on amino acids, digestibility and formulation precision, another equally critical story unfolds behind the scenes: how that quality is preserved, verified and delivered across a complex global supply chain.

That journey – from U.S. soybean fields to feed mills and ports around the world – depends on a network of producers, processors, shippers and independent certifiers working in coordination. At the center of that system are companies like Russell Marine Group (RMG), whose role is to ensure that what leaves the United States arrives exactly as expected, and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), who bridges the gap between its domestic production and international demand for sustainable, high-quality soy by partnering with U.S. Soy farmers, members and international customers to help advance global nutrition security with integrity. 

Insights from Thomas D’Alfonso, Ph.D., Worldwide Animal Nutrition Focus Area Director at USSEC, and Reese Allemore, Operations Manager at RMG, highlight how quality is not only created at the farm level, but must be actively protected at every step along the way.

A supply chain built on accountability

Russell Marine Group is a New Orleans-based, multi-generational company with more than 60 years of experience supporting U.S. agricultural exports. Originally founded as a freight forwarding business, the company has evolved alongside the industry, expanding into inspection, surveying and laboratory services.

“As Russell Marine Group grew, we started expanding our offering to do different things like inspection work, surveying, going on vessels and getting into the analytical side of the business, and we started a GMO laboratory.”

Today, the company is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, but operates across multiple U.S. regions, including the Gulf and Pacific Northwest, providing analytical services that support global grain and soybean meal exports.

At its core, RMG serves as an independent third party – a role that has become increasingly important as global buyers demand greater transparency and consistency.

“We're a true third-party independent surveyor,” Allemore said. “Sometimes we work for the buyers and other times the receiver. We've found that we're able to bridge the gap in between to make sure everybody's happy and everyone's getting the quality product they're expecting.”

Independence is fundamental to building trust across the supply chain. Unlike buyers or sellers, third-party surveyors are tasked with delivering unbiased, factual assessments of product quality.

“You know that you're getting an honest opinion no matter what's right or wrong,” he added. “It's the black and white answer sometimes that everyone truly is looking for.”

The “relay race” of soybean meal quality

D’Alfonso describes the soybean meal supply chain as a relay race – one in which every participant must successfully pass the baton to maintain quality.

“It requires every player in the supply chain to get the final product to the feed mill that is consistent in essential amino acids and metabolizable energy,” he said. “It’s not just a transfer of physical product but also of certification information.”

For poultry producers, this consistency is not optional. Modern genetics demand precise nutrition to achieve optimal performance.

Quality soybean meal begins on the farm. U.S. soybean producers rely on multi-generational knowledge of their crops and land, responsible land stewardship and precise input management to produce a consistent, highly digestible crop.

But maintaining that quality is where logistics and verification become critical – and where companies like RMG step in. Allemore reinforced this connection, emphasizing the importance of preserving the nutritional value established at the farm level.

“It’s really important for us to make sure that our end customer is getting all of the nutrition-packed soybean meal,” he said. “We really race to make sure that the baton's passed on as far as quality and control.”

Where quality can be lost and protected

Despite strong systems across the U.S. supply chain, there are still points where soybean meal quality can be compromised. 

“Most of the issues that we see are at a transfer point,” he explained. “Because that's when you're transferring from a farm to a truck or a truck to a bin, bin to rail, so forth.”

At these stages, risks such as commingling, contamination or spillage can occur. While these incidents are relatively rare in well-managed systems, they underscore the importance of oversight.

“Having an independent surveyor there gives everyone the extra reassurance to make sure that you're getting what you expect to receive,” Allemore said.

This oversight becomes even more important in a global context, where shipments may travel thousands of miles and pass through multiple handling points.

“No two shipments are ever created equally,” he noted. “It's always important to make sure that everyone has their full attention at all times on the products as they're moving through the system, especially between transfer points.”

Independence and transparency for end users

For poultry producers and feed mill operators, the value of independent testing lies in its ability to provide accurate, actionable data.

“Our independence truly means we provide the facts of exactly what is being sent and received,” Allemore said. “Sometimes the results aren't what people are hoping for, but it's always the truth of what it is.”

This information allows nutritionists and feed formulators to make real-time adjustments based on actual ingredient quality – not assumptions.

“We deliver the truth, allowing feed mills, poultry producers and nutritionists to know precisely what analytical makeup is being delivered so they can adjust formulations as needed,” he explained.

In some cases, higher-than-expected quality can create opportunities.

“If you're getting higher quality soybean meal than expected, you may not need to use as much to hit the same analytical value,” Allemore said.

D’Alfonso emphasized that this level of reliability is essential, especially since some aspects of soybean meal quality, like heat damage, are not always visible.

“When the end user receives it, you may not be able to see whether there's any damage in the meal,” he said. “You want to have a reliable supplier and partner in the middle of the chain providing the documentation.”

Together, these elements create a system where both product and information move in parallel, ensuring transparency from origin to destination.

Honoring quality requirements across global markets

One of the most critical aspects of the soybean meal supply chain is to ensure that buyer specifications are clearly communicated and consistently met.

According to Allemore, this process begins long before the product is shipped.

“It really starts with clear, concise communication,” he said. “That starts all the way from the shipper to the receiver.”

Independent surveyors play a key role in facilitating communication and ensuring alignment between both parties. Failing to meet those expectations can have consequences for the entire industry.

“We always like to be involved, so we understand the scope of what is expected on both sides,” he explained. “If the receiver isn't happy with the shipment or the shipper isn't happy, then we fail as an entire industry.”

That’s why maintaining and verifying consistency is essential, particularly when U.S. soybean meal often commands a premium in global markets.

Chain of custody and traceability

Another key element in maintaining soybean meal quality is traceability, which ensures that the product being delivered matches its origin and certification.

RMG’s role begins once the product enters the logistics phase, tracking it from inland transportation to vessel loading.

“When you put something on the water or a rail car, we pick it up from there and have it all the way to the vessel,” Allemore said. “We make sure the sustainability certificate is tracked and with the shipment every step of the way and recorded. It’s kind of like tracking a FedEx or UPS shipment.”

This process transforms sustainability certifications and identity preservation into actionable, traceable systems.

“It’s really important to make sure that the soybean cut out of a specific farm is actually that bean,” he said.

For end users, this traceability provides confidence not only in the product’s quality, but also in its origin and production practices.

The critical role of representative sampling

While testing is essential, Allemore stressed that the accuracy of results ultimately depends on how samples are collected.

“Our results are only as good as our sampling,” he said. “If we're not taking a cohesive, representative sample, then we can be off from the very start.”

Unlike whole grains, soybean meal is not governed by federal grain inspection services in the same way, making independent sampling even more important.

“With soybean meal being a byproduct, it's very important to not only test, but it’s also important to know how the sample is truly drawn,” he explained.

RMG follows internationally recognized standards to ensure representative sampling across shipments of varying sizes. They are certified by the Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA), a London-based international trade association with over 1,900 members across 100 countries. 

“It’s really all about making sure that the sampling is representative – whether it’s 1,000 metric tons or 50,000 metric tons,” Allemore said.

This involves collecting samples throughout the loading process and combining them into a composite that accurately reflects the entire shipment.

“It's important that we're sampling throughout,” he added. “You can’t just take a sample off the top. Sampling depends on how you are loading, and it’s also important to have experienced sample takers who know the correct way to do it.”

D’Alfonso noted that this rigorous sampling process reinforces confidence in product consistency.

“You can't just take one sample to demonstrate consistency,” he said. “Hearing this about the sampling process just continues to build the confidence in U.S. soy.”

Delivering confidence to poultry producers

For poultry producers, the implications of this system are clear: consistent, high-quality soybean meal supports predictable performance, efficient feed conversion and overall profitability.

Achieving consistency requires a coordinated effort across the entire supply chain – from farm to vessel to feed mill. Companies like Russell Marine Group play a vital role in that process, providing the independent verification and transparency needed to maintain trust.

As Allemore summarized, their role is ultimately about ensuring that expectations are met every time.

In a global industry where small variations in feed ingredients can have significant impacts on performance and cost, that assurance is invaluable.