Seeds of the soybean plant (Glycine Max) were planted in the United States beginning in the second half of the 18th century.  In 1765, a colonist in Georgia planted soybean seed from China on his property near Savannah.  The beans were used to make soy sauce, which was popular in England by the 1750s.  In 1770, Benjamin Franklin sent soybean seeds to John Bartram, who planted the seeds in his garden in Philadelphia.  In the years 1851-1854 soybean seed from the crew rescued from a Japanese fishing vessel was distributed in Illinois and throughout the U.S. corn belt.  In the early 20th century, agricultural scientist George Washington Carver studied the soybean and opened a door to a variety of new uses. The soybean is approximately 18% oil and 38% protein and is highly valued as a source of protein-rich meal in animal nutrition products. Today soybean products are used in a multitude of edible products, animal feed applications, and industrial uses. The products made from soybeans are so numerous and diverse that the bean has been called the “miracle crop.”

North Carolina Soybean Production

In 2010, North Carolina farmers planted nearly 1.58 million acres of soybeans, making soybeans the biggest acreage crop in the state.  The 2010 harvest produced 40.3 million bushels, or about 1.1 million metric tons.  The record production was set in 2009, when North Carolina produced 59.9 million bushels.  Most soybean acres in North Carolina are in the eastern part of the state in the coastal plain.  Leading soybean counties include Robeson, Beaufort, Pitt, Sampson, Pasquotank, Wayne, Duplin and Johnston counties.

Drought made a big impact on the 2010 and 2007 soybean crops.  Drought and summer heat reduced the state average yield to 26 bushels per acre in 2010, and 21 bushels per acre in 2007.  The record average yield is 34 bushels per acre, set in 2009.  As you can see, soybean yield is somewhat volatile from year to year in North Carolina.  Heat and drought can make a big difference in state average yield.