How are Soybeans Grown?
Soybeans are a major agricultural crop planted in the United States and is just as important as corn (Shahbandeh, 2022). Soy products are a common food on dinner tables across the US. Not only are soy products delicious and offer a variety of benefits, scientists have found that eating more soy protein has a preventative effect on chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Due to its high nutritional value, soybeans are known as the "King of Beans", "Green Milk" and so on. Soybeans are the most respected food by nutritionists among hundreds of natural foods.
Do you know how such nutritious soybeans are grown? In this month’s blog we are going to explore the soybean growth journey.
Sorting the Seed, Attract Buyers.
The first and the most important step in the soybeans’ life is picking the best seeds in late winter. Different traits of soybeans will attract different buyers, and the farmer must choose the best match for the geography, season, and climate in which it will be grown.
Planting the Seeds.
Then, in the spring, farmers will plant each soybean seed about an inch deep in a row and up to 30 inches apart in the ground after preparing the soil. Soybeans sprout about four to seven days after planting. Next step is to set up the irrigation. The technology today makes sure each seed gets the proper amount of water. In the plant growing process, the farmers will need to consistently monitor the soybeans and ensure they are free of pests, weeds, and diseases.
Harvest Season
Fall is the harvest season; at this time all soybean seeds will grow into fully mature soybean plants. In late September, the soybeans begin to mature. When the weather gets cooler, the leaves on the soybean plants begin to turn yellow. By mid-October and November, the leaves will turn brown and fall off, the matured pods of the soybeans will expose. The soybeans are now ready to be harvested. Next, a machine separates the pods and stems of the soybeans and collects them in a tank. After successfully harvesting the soybeans, they will be loaded into truck and transported to grain elevator facilities. This grain elevator facilities will be a good place to store the seeds while looking for buyers. The harvested soybeans can be used to extract oil, make food for livestock, or produced into soy food products. After the harvesting season, the farmers will pick the next batch of seed for next year (The Life of a Soybean, 2021).
We hope you learned from today’s blog on the soybean growth journey. At Nature’s Soy, we only use carefully sourced premium non-GMO soybeans. To learn more about soybeans, please visit the United Soybean Board. Stay up to date with Nature’s Soy by scanning the QR code below to follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Stay healthy and stay tuned!
References
Shahbandeh, M. (2022, January 17). Major soybean producing U.S. states from 2017 to 2021. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/192076/top-10-soybean-producing-us-states/
The Life of a Soybean. (2021, 3 1). Retrieved from NC Soybean Producers Association: https://ncsoy.org/media-resources/growing-soybeans/