Soybeans and Arkansas' famous Smith in partnership

Award-winning designer and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith today announced a new partnership with the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board to help Arkansans better understand the many benefits of soybeans in everyday life.

The partnership starts December 2011 and will feature the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board as a prominent presence on many of Smith’s media channels, such as his popular weekly radio show on 102.9 KARN-FM on Saturdays from 5-6 p.m., in the P. Allen Smith social media channels and his website at http://www.pallensmith.com/.

I’m proud to be part of Arkansas’ farming heritage,” Smith said. “I love the land, my farm and sharing it in many different ways with Arkansans and the world. Through my partnership with the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board I can go beyond my garden gate to include one of our state’s most valuable crops – the soybean. I’m excited to show the many ways this miracle bean plays a role in our everyday lives.”

Smith will feature soybeans through videos on his website, content in his blog and various events on his social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter. He will highlight delicious recipes he creates using soybeans and unique ways to use soybean products throughout the home and garden.

“The board understands the importance of promoting the Arkansas soybean industry through research and education,” said Todd Allen, chairman of the ASPB. “This partnership will encourage Arkansans to harvest the potential of the crop we call the “miracle bean” for its many uses. We want Arkansans to utilize soy-based products in homes and businesses through use, education and conversation.”

Arkansas currently ranks 10th in the nation in soybean production, producing 122 million bushels annually valued at more than $1 billion. Arkansas soybeans are grown by thousands of Arkansas farmers in 50 of the state’s 75 counties.

Approximately 85% of the world's soybean crop is processed into soybean meal and vegetable oil. Nearly 98 percent of the soybean meal used domestically goes to feed poultry and livestock, though there are many other benefits of soybeans often unknown to the general public. Many people are familiar with soy protein products, which serve as good substitutes for animal products because of the “complete” protein profile of soybeans.

About P. Allen Smith

P. Allen Smith is an award-winning designer and lifestyle expert and host of two public television programs, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table and the syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens. Smith is one of America's most recognized and respected design experts, providing ideas and inspiration through multiple media venues. He is the author of the best-selling Garden Home series of books published by Clarkson Potter/Random House, including Bringing the Garden Indoors: Container, Crafts and Bouquets for Every Room and P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes from the Garden. Smith is a regular contributor on NBC’s The Today Show and The Weather Channel. Allen is also very active on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Allen’s Blog and YouTube as well as on the new eHow Home channel deputing January, 2012. His design and lifestyle advice is featured in several national magazines. Learn more at http://www.pallensmith.com/.

About Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board

The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board was established to improve the profitability of soybean production in Arkansas and to distribute funds from the national checkoff for research and extension projects conducted by the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. The board consists of soybean producers nominated by various producer organizations within Arkansas and appointed by the governor. Although board members contribute many hours of their time to administering the program, they serve without pay. The United Soybean Board, through soybean checkoff investments, is committed to funding the research, development and commercialization of U.S. grown soybeans. Learn more about the ASPB at http://www.themiraclebean.com/.