Federal, state, and commercial soybean breeders periodically receive direct requests for seed from potential foreign cooperators, including both those who are technically qualified to undertake research and those who have little experience with the crop and are initiating programs for the first time. The Gennplasm Resources Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, also receives numerous requests from foreign cooperators as a result of its involvement in the international germplasm exchange program that has been operating for 25 to 30 years. In addition, U. S. breeders request specific germplasm from foreign sources and new plant introductions are added to the soybean germplasm collections
