South CarolinaSoybeans

---the miracle crop

Mature Soybean

Soybeans are practically as American as baseball today, but a half century ago, they were grown only by a handful of innovative farmers.

Young soybean seedlings.

Double-cropped soybeans behind wheat.

Soybeans developing their canopy reducing probability of weed emergence.

Soybeans at green stage, beginning to set pods.

Mature field of soybeans ready for harvest.

Upon harvest the combine separates the bean from the pod.

Mature soybeans are harvested with a combine from the end of October to mid December.

Soybeans are offloaded from the combine to a grain wagon and sent to the processor. The two by-products are soybean meal and soybean oil.

Soybean Research

Thanks to research, soybeans are used for a myriad of products:

soy milktofu

soybean curdsoy yogurtsoyburgers

soy loafsoy sausage

soy oil

Products made with soybean meal or oil.