Soybeans...The History

The soybean has become the foremost provider of protein and oil in the world.

The humble soybean has blossomed from legendary Chinese origins to the "miracle crop" vastly produced on modern-day American farms. As early as 5,000 years ago, records show that farmers in China grew soybeans as an important staple crop for their everyday diet. In fact, ancient Chinese scholars referred to soy as one of the "five sacred grains." In 1804, sailors on a Yankee clipper ship leaving China brought soybeans with them to the United States – though for a very different reason than one might imagine. They loaded the ship with soybeans as inexpensive ballast. Upon arrival in the United States, they dumped the soybeans to make room for cargo.

In 1829, U.S. farmers grew soybeans for the first time, cultivating a variety for use in soy sauce. During the Civil War, soldiers brewed soybeans as "coffee berries" when real coffee was scarce. In the late 1800s, significant numbers of farmers began to grow soybeans as forage for cattle. In 1904, at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, George Washington Carver began studying the soybean. His discoveries changed the way people thought about the soybean. No longer was it just a forage crop; now soybeans provided valuable protein and oil.

Prior to World War II, the United States imported 40 percent of its edible fats and oil. At the advent of the war, this oil supply was cut off and processors turned to soybean oil. By 1940, the U.S. crop had grown to 78 million bushels and the United States was a net exporter of soybeans and soybean products. That year, Henry Ford took an ax to a car trunk made with soybean plastic in a publicity stunt to demonstrate its durability.

In the early 1950s, soybean meal became available as a low-cost, high-protein animal feed ingredient, triggering an explosion in the U.S. livestock and poultry production. The soybean industry then began to look at ways to expand export markets, starting with Japan.

Today, farmers in over 29 states grow soybeans, making them the second largest crop in cash sales and the number one value crop export. The soybean has become the foremost provider of protein and oil in the world.

History compliments of United Soybean Board.