Wahpeton Police Cruiser riding on soy-based wheels following $1,000 grant

(Wahpeton, ND) -- Soybean-based tires are taking first responders to emergency situations following a grant from The North Dakota Soybean Council.

The council is providing $1,000 grants for each organization to purchase Goodyear soy-based tires. This includes the Wahpeton Police Department, who have recently purchased the plant based tires for a squad vehicle.

"The Wahpeton Police Department has a small budget for tires,” says Deputy Chief Tim Appell of Wahpeton Police Department. “One of our patrol vehicles did not have pursuit rated tires. Without pursuit rated tires, driving the vehicle at high speeds endangers officers and others. Soy-based Goodyear tires are a good quality product, and we thank the North Dakota Soybean Council for their generosity.”

Goodyear has increased its reliance on the use of soybeans by 73% since 2018, and has pledged to replace their petroleum oils with soybeans by 2040.