Transcript Soybeans - Oconto Falls Agricultural Education Department


I. Soybeans originated from East Asia.
Written records from 2838 B.C. by
Chinese Emperor Sheng-Nung
mention the cultivation of soybean.
Over time, soybean cultivation
spread to Japan, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand,
Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, and India.
Soybeans were brought to the United
States in the early 1800s as ship
ballast. In 1879, a few farmers began
to plant soybeans for use as forage
for livestock.
 A.
In 1904, American Chemist
George Washington Carver
discovered that soybeans were
an excellent source of protein
and oil. With his
encouragement, farmers began
to rotate their crops with
soybeans. In 1927, he invented
a process for producing paints
and stains from soybeans.
 B.
A.E. Staley saw great potential of
the soybean as a source of oil, meal,
and flour. In 1922, the A.E. Staley
Manufacturing Company began
crushing soybeans to yield oil and
meal. He promoted soybeans when
there was little production on a
national scale.
 C.
Henry Ford believed that soybeans
could be used for many purposes. In
1930, he had a soybean experimental
laboratory built in Greenfield
Village, Michigan. His goals were to
find uses for soybeans in the
industrial world. Ford’s effort led to
soy-based plastic car panels, soy
milk, ice cream, and all-vegetable
non-dairy whipped topping.
 II.
The soybean, Glycine max, is the
cultivated soybean. In fact, it only grows
under cultivation. A relative is Glycine soja,
which is a wild species. Both species are
annual plants. There are at least 16 wild
perennial soybean species with varying
nutritional contents and uses.
 A.
Glycine max is a legume. A legume is a
plant that can fix nitrogen from the air in the
soil. Soybeans are photoperiodic and
thermoperiodic, meaning flower initiation
occurs with the change of day lengths and
temperatures. As short-day plants, soybeans
flower naturally as the days become shorter
in late summer.
 B.
Soybean cultivars are classified
according to their use. These classifications
include commercial or seed, forage, and
vegetable. Like corn, soybeans are one of
the most important crops grown in the
United States. Soybeans are oil crops. Oil
crops are plants grown to produce
vegetable oil from their seed or fruit.
Soybeans have many human, agricultural,
and industrial uses.
 1.
Soybean oil is a widely used
vegetable oil. Soybean oil consists
of 15 percent saturated fats, 24
percent monounsaturated fats, and
61 percent polyunsaturated fats.
Soybean oil contains natural
antioxidants that help to prevent
oxidative rancidity or the
decomposition of fat. Soybean oil is
used in cooking, salad dressings,
vegetable oil, margarine, and
shortening.

2. Soybeans are generally considered a source of
complete protein. A complete protein is one
that contains significant amounts of all the
essential amino acids for the human body. For
this reason, soy is a good source of protein for
vegetarians and for people who cannot afford
meat. Soybeans are used in a variety of forms.
Soy products are popular with health conscious
people because soybean meal contains twice the
protein of beef and fish. Soybean products that
can be found on many grocery store shelves
include soy milk, soy yogurt, soy hot dogs, and
soy cheese. Soybean byproducts are used in
salad dressings, margarine, cocoa, chocolate,
candies, and flour.
 3.
Animals also benefit from soybeans and
soybean byproducts. Soybean oil meal,
soybean oil cake, and soybean meal can be
used as sources of protein in animal feeds.
 4.
Soybeans, or certain parts of soybeans,
are used in a number of industrial products.
Personal products (e.g., soap, lotion, and
creams) made from soybeans are increasing
in popularity. Household items (e.g.,
linoleum, candles, plastics, paints, and
adhesives) may also include soybeans.
Soybeans can also be used to produce
insecticides, printing ink, and lubricants.
 III.
 A.
The soybean is an annual dicot plant.
Cultivated varieties are generally bushy
plants. However, some varieties have
prostate or vine growth habits. Some
soybean varieties grow up to 5 or 6 feet in
height. The leaves, stems, and pods are
covered with fine brown or gray hairs
referred to as pubescence.
 B.
The first true leaves that form at the first
node are unifoliate, meaning they have one
leaf blade. Mature leaves are trifoliolate,
meaning they have three leaflets. The
leaflets are broadly ovate or oval in shape,
and the leaves fall before the seeds are
mature.
 C.
The flowers are borne in the axils of the
leaves and are white, pink, or purple. They
are small and inconspicuous. Soybeans are
self-fertile.
 D.
The fruit is a pod. Pods that are 1 to 3
inches in length grow in clusters of 3 to 5.
Each pod contains 2 to 4 seeds.
 IV.
Processed soybeans are the largest source
of protein feed and vegetable oil in the
world. One bushel of soybeans is equal to 60
pounds. One bushel typically produces 11
pounds of oil, 43 pounds of meal, 4.2 pounds
of hulls, and 1.8 pounds of other matter.
Soybean production is important on national
and international levels.
 A.
The United States is the
world’s leading soybean
producer and exporter.
Soybeans compose
approximately 90 percent
of the total oilseed
production in the United
States. Cottonseed,
sunflower seed, and
peanuts account for the
remainder.
 B.
The top soybean producing countries are
the following: (1) the United States with 40
percent, (2) Brazil with 24 percent, and (3)
Argentina with 18 percent.
 C.
Top producing states in 2007 were the
following: (1) Iowa, (2) Illinois, (3)
Minnesota, (4) Indiana, (5) Missouri, (6)
Nebraska, and (7) Ohio.
 D.
According to the USDA Economic Research
Service, 43 percent of U.S. soybean
production was exported as soybean and
soybean products in 2003. The major export
markets for U.S. oilseeds, oilseed meal, and
vegetable oil are the following: (1) the
European Union, (2) Japan, (3) Mexico, (4)
China, and (5) Taiwan.