1. Soybeans!!!

2. Soybean History -700 B.C.: first cultivated in China
-late 1700’s: soybeans reached the U.S.
-1920’s: soybeans developed as an oil crop
-1940’s: begin of rapid growth of soybean as a major grain crop.
-1970’s: soybeans become a major part of crop rotation

3. Soybean Facts -first used a forage and grazing crop in the U.S.
-Scientific name: Glycine max
-One of the four traditional grains:
-soybeans, wheat, rice, and sorghum
-Very high in protein and oil, low in starch
-A legume, meaning:
Can fixate nitrogen from the atmosphere and put it into the soil
-Soybeans are the #1 oil crop in the world and U.S.

4. -Contains 20% oil and 40% protein
-Common soybean uses:
-protein supplement for livestock
-tofu and soy milk for human consumption
-medicine and placebo
-soy ink for printing
-surfactant for soaps
-soy lecithin for mixing food products
-vegetable oil for cooking
-Other oil crops: peanuts, sunflower, canola, palm, olives, corn (ethanol)

5. World Soybean Production rankings#1
U.S.A. 50% of world’s soybeans #2
Brazil 20% of world’s soybeans
China 10% of world’s soybeans (not exported) #3 #4
Argentina 9% of world’s soybeans

6. U.S. production rankings#1 #2 #3 #4 #5
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Indiana
Ohio