Soybean meal is a high-protein supplement for livestock, and soybean is gaining popularity in human diets as well.
Soybean (Glycine max) is grown in nearly every state in the United States and the southern provinces of Canada. Soybean is a summer annual that is planted in the spring, grows during the summer, and produces seed and is ready for harvest in the fall.
Soybean meal is a high-protein supplement for livestock, and soybean is gaining popularity in human diets as well. Biodiesel is a potential domestic market for U.S. soybeans. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of all U.S. soybeans are exported.
Soybean originated in China where it has been grown as a food crop for centuries. Soybean was brought to the United States in the late 1800s or early 1900s, first as a forage crop. Farmers soon learned that growing soybean for seed was a much better option than growing soybeans for forage. Soybean gained in popularity in the United States around the 1940s and 1950s and is now the second largest row crop (based on acreage) in the United States.
For more information on this and other topics related to soybean production, contact your state extension specialist or your local extension educator/agent.
Following is the link to the soybean extension specialists: state extension soybean specialist.
