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 2008, North Carolina farmers are expected to plant nearly 1.6 million acres of soybeans, making soybeans the biggest acreage crop in the state.  In 2006, North Carolina farmers produced 43 million bushels of soybeans on 1.4 million acres. Across the entire United States, soybean farmers produced a record 3.19 billion bushels in 2006.

Drought made a big impact on the 2007 soybean crop.  Drought and summer heat reduced the state average yield to 21 bushels per acre, down from 32 bushels per acre in 2006.  Acreage remained nearly 1.4 million acres.  Production was forecast at 28.8 million bushels, down 34% from 2006.