The Japanese diet relies heavily on soybeans as a protein source, yet imported product is required to meet that demand. In fact, approximately 74 percent of soybean supply in Japan is sourced directly from the United States, making it the highest soybean supplier to the Pacific country.

As a food-grade export, achieving a high level of quality in soybean production is important in maintaining customer satisfaction. And it begins with controlling production output.

Indiana’s Ramon Loucks understands Japan’s attention to detail first-hand. Loucks is owner of IOM Grain, LLC – a grain handling operation in rural Portland that caters to the Japanese market for edible soy products. To meet their quality standards, Loucks contracts only to growers that produce non-GMO varieties grown to very strict standards. He monitors every step, from the type of variety used, to color selected, and he even knows the exact nutrient content in the soil.

Recently he made the decision to introduce a new cleaner to the mix with the Clipper Conquest 586 Precision Seed Cleaner – a cleaner that features two calibrated air gate controls for precision in air separation between the upper and lower fans. It features a half-inch throw on eccentric cleaning shoe drives for maximum seed separation, a reverse incline back fan, bottom blast fan for under-seed cleaning, and an adjustable internal gate for uniform seed flow through the air columns.

Loucks has seen the impact of these features on his bottom line. Since installing the machine in December 2011, Loucks noticed a steep decline on his Good Grain Clean Out (GGCO) which he attributes to precision control. And Loucks knows that maintaining success in this market relies on controlling output and maximizing good grain.