Goodyear soy-based tires donated

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Soybean Alliance donated soy-based Goodyear tires to charities and public institutions across the state this year.

Goodyear has been replacing petroleum-based oil with soybean-based oil in certain brands of tires since 2017.

The farmer-nominated winners were:

• Cultivate Food Rescue in St. Joseph County, nominated by Joe Stoller of Bremen.

• Noble Transit Service in Noble County, nominated by Tom Griffiths of Kendallville.

• Putnam County Sheriff Department, nominated by Mark Legan of Coatesville.

• Hamilton Fire Department in Jackson County, nominated by Kevin Burbrink of Seymour.

“It means a lot,” said Todd Zeltwanger, director of fund development at Cultivate Food Rescue.

“It just helps us because we have a vehicle on the road that’s picking up and delivering food every single day, and these tires are going to last longer, they’re going to be more efficient. And so, we’re very grateful for the opportunity to have these and look forward to the partnership with this organization down the road.”

Benefits of using soybeans in tires include:

• Using soybean oil reduces the use of petroleum oil in tires.

• Soybean oil increases manufacturing efficiencies and reduces energy consumption while consuming surplus bio-based renewable material.

• Goodyear reports that soybean oil improves tire flexibility at low temperatures, helping the rubber to remain pliable in cold weather and enhancing traction in rain and snow.

“This is another great example of how checkoff work benefits soybean farmers,” said Kevin Cox, ISA Board chair .

“USB collaborated with Goodyear to develop these tires, and they’ve come up with a better tire that is better for the environment and better for our farmers, too.

“I am an Indiana soybean grower, and there are more than 20,000 others like me across our state. We’re very happy to see new markets developed with our product.”