From the farm field to the softball field, Minnesota soybeans are being used in a new way. Joel Heitkamp is the superintendent of the Worthington, Minnesota School District, and he says the new facility should be completed by next spring. “It will be the very first bio-based artificial turf playing surface in the state of Minnesota through AstroTurf,” said Heitkamp. “The closest one to us is in Madison, South Dakota, and so we really do now have kind of a premier product right here locally that we can showcase.” The soybean-based turf is a more sustainable alternative than petroleum-based materials without impacting performance or durability. In addition, Worthington has a 200-acre ag lab where students get practical experience in farming. “Being able to make that connection to hands-on learning on ground that we own, that we farm soybeans and corn each and every year, and then we’re turning around and utilizing those resources in new and unique and innovative ways is just an awesome story for us to tell.” The softball turf project was made possible with the support of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and Nobles County Corn and Soybean Growers Association.
