From shifting trade flows and rising geopolitical risk to changing consumption patterns, soy sits at the heart of some of the most important macroeconomic debates of the moment. How have geopolitics and trade tensions reshaped the global soy market? What role do new weight-loss drugs such as GLP-1s play in altering demand for protein and feed? And what does the outlook look like for one of the world’s most strategically important agricultural commodities?
Speaking to our host Paul Chapman on this episode is Walter Cronin, President and Co-Founder of White River Nutrition, a US soy processing company based in Nebraska. Alongside soybean meal and oil, White River produces high-quality soy ingredients, placing it at the intersection of global markets, agricultural innovation and nutrition trends.
Read below for our key talent impacts from this episode.
Key Talent Impacts
Is demand rising for hybrid talent across agriculture, energy and policy?
The discussion makes clear that soybeans now sit at the intersection of food, fuel, geopolitics and domestic policy. This creates sustained demand for professionals who can operate across traditional sector boundaries. Talent in commodities increasingly needs fluency in agricultural markets, energy transition policy, and geopolitical risk, rather than deep expertise in a single domain. Firms involved in biofuels, trading, processing and advisory work will need individuals who can translate policy shifts into commercial and operational decisions.
Are talent challenges intensifying at the production and processing level?
Farmers and processors are described as operating in an increasingly difficult economic environment, with rising input costs and prices failing to keep pace. This has implications for workforce sustainability in agricultural production and midstream processing. Talent attraction and retention become harder when returns are compressed, particularly for younger workers. At the same time, firms such as soy processors need more technically skilled staff to manage efficiency, logistics, and optimisation in a low-margin, high-complexity environment.
Is policy risk management becoming a core capability rather than a niche skill?
A recurring theme is that policy, rather than weather, has become the dominant risk for soybean producers and processors. This has direct talent implications. Energy and commodities organisations require more specialists in regulatory strategy, government affairs and market risk management. The uncertainty around renewable diesel mandates illustrates how talent that can navigate incomplete or delayed policy frameworks is now central to commercial resilience, not an auxiliary function.
Is sustained market volatility increasing pressure on trading and commercial talent?
The transcript highlights persistent volatility across soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil, driven by trade tensions, biofuel policy and geopolitics. This places greater strain on trading, procurement and hedging teams. Talent in these roles must manage higher stress, faster decision cycles and more complex risk profiles. Employers may face challenges in retaining experienced traders and risk managers, while demand rises for individuals with strong quantitative, behavioural, and decision-making skills in uncertain environments.
Do structural shifts in demand point to long-term talent needs across the protein and biofuels value chains?
The discussion of GLP-1 drugs and rising protein consumption, alongside growth in renewable diesel, points to durable demand shifts rather than short-term cycles. This underpins long-term demand for talent across protein supply chains, animal feed, biofuels, and downstream processing. For the energy and commodities sector, this favours talent with a long-term mindset, capable of building capacity, infrastructure and supply chains rather than simply trading cyclical price movements.
HC Group is a global search firm dedicated to the energy and commodities markets.
Learn more about our Agriculture & Nutrition Talent Practice
Explore the full HC Commodities Podcast archive
HC Commodities Podcast Briefing
Edited highlights and themes from the podcast episode.
Why do soybeans matter so much in today’s global economy?
Soybeans sit at the intersection of food, fuel, geopolitics and trade. While consumers rarely encounter soy directly, it underpins global protein supply through soybean meal, the primary feed ingredient for poultry, fish and dairy. As global populations grow and diets shift towards higher protein consumption, soybeans have become one of the world’s most strategically important commodities.
How have geopolitics and trade policy reshaped the soybean market?
Trade tensions, particularly between the US and China, have had a profound impact. Chinese import demand has driven Brazil’s rise as the dominant soybean exporter, while US policy decisions have accelerated a shift towards domestic processing. Soybeans have increasingly become a tool of statecraft, exposing how food security and geopolitical risk are tightly linked.
What role does energy policy play in soybean demand?
Energy policy is now a major driver of soybean markets through biofuels. Soybean oil is a growing feedstock for renewable diesel, supported by US decarbonisation mandates. Unlike biodiesel, renewable diesel integrates seamlessly into existing fuel infrastructure, driving strong consumer adoption and creating long-term demand for soybean oil.
How are GLP-1 drugs influencing food and commodity demand?
The rapid uptake of GLP-1 therapies is changing dietary behaviour. These drugs suppress appetite while increasing protein requirements, driving demand for lean, efficient protein sources. This has boosted poultry and egg consumption, indirectly increasing demand for soybean meal across feed markets, particularly in Europe.
What does this mean for the outlook for soybeans?
Soybeans benefit from exceptional versatility. They serve food, feed and fuel markets simultaneously, allowing the sector to absorb shocks better than many commodities. While farmers face rising costs and policy-driven volatility, structural demand for protein and renewable fuels suggests soybeans will remain central to global commodity markets for years to come.