Overview

Oilseeds are a key component of the world food supply. Soybeans (Glycine max) are the leading oilseed, accounting for 58 percent of all oilseeds produced in 2010. U.S. soybeans accounted for 35 percent of world soybean production, a drop from last year, while Brazil accounted for 27 percent and Argentina for 19 percent, up from last year (Soy Stats 2011).

Soybeans are grown primarily for their protein content for animal and human food and secondarily for vegetable oil for cooking and food manufacturing. In fact, 69 percent of the protein meal consumed in 2010 was from soybeans, while 29 percent of the vegetable oil consumed that year was soy oil (Soy Stats 2011). A 60-pound bushel of soybeans yields about 48 pounds of protein-rich meal and 11 pounds of oil or 1.5 gallons of biodiesel. The meal is processed into many food products.

As a versatile source of food, soybeans are the highest natural source of dietary fiber. Nine essential amino acids, which are necessary for human nutrition and are not naturally produced in the body, are found in soybeans. In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the health claim that consuming 25 grams of soy protein per day, as part of a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.  May 2011 . . .  Soyfoods


Marketing

• American Soybean Association
• Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA, 2010.
• How the Global Oilseed and Grain Trade Works, U.S. Soybean Export Council and United Soybean Board, 2008.
• Oil Crops Outlook, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA.
• Oil Crops Yearbook, ERS, USDA.
• Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade, FAS, USDA.
• Soybeans & Oil Crops, ERS, USDA.
• Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA) - Provides information about the health benefits and nutritional advantages of soy consumption.
• Soyfoods Council
• Soyfoods Facts, Soyatech.
• Soy Protein Council, Washington, D.C.
• Soy Stats 2011, The American Soybean Association - This guide is a comprehensive resource for statistical information about the U.S. soybean industry and its relationship to world oilseed production.
• U.S. Soybean Export Council
• U.S. Soyfoods Directory - Handbook of FDA health claims, nutritional information, product descriptions, recipes and resources.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Center for Crop Utilization & Research, Iowa State University.
• East Carolina Soy Processors - What started as a cooperative venture to produce soy products for local markets in eastern North Carolina has evolved into a start-up soy-crushing business scheduled to open in late 2008. Because the soy oil and soy meal markets have dramatically expanded since the group of farmer investors first met six years earlier, their original interest in crushing soy is still financially viable.
• Illinois Center for Soy Foods
• Okara: A Possible High Protein Feedstuff for Organic Pig Diets, Iowa State University, 2004 - Okara, a byproduct of ground soybeans used for the production of soy milk and tofu, was tested as a potential organic protein source.
• Quality of the United States Food Soybean Crop: 2008, U.S. Soybean Export Council, 2008 - This report provides state by state food soybean quality information (protein and oil), regional quality averages by seed size (protein, oil, and carbohydrates), and quality trends for the entire U.S. commodity soybean crop.
• Soya & Oilseed Bluebook - Worldwide industry directory.
• Warming up to Cold Tofu, Value-Added Corner, Value-Added Producer Grant Success Stories, Rural Cooperatives magazine, USDA, 2004 - Ohio soybean growers study entry into emerging frozen tofu market.
• 2010 Soyfoods Guide, United Soybean Board, 2010 - Contains descriptions of major soyfoods.

Production

• Crop Production Annual Summary, National Ag Statistics Service (NASS), USDA.
• Edamame, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2009.
• Edamame: Vegetable Soybean, ATTRA, NCAT, 2006 - This publication discusses edamame, the immature green form of vegetable soybean.
• Edible Soybean Production and Marketing, ATTRA, NCAT, 2003 - Edible soybeans are used for making tofu, tempeh, soynut snacks and other foods. Farmers growing food-grade soybeans must find a buyer because most food-grade soybeans are contract grown.
• Integrated Pest Management Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education (IPMPIPE) - An online warning system to help soybean farmers protect their crop from devastating Asian Soybean Rust (ASR). Farmers can use maps of nationwide sentinel planting results to assess the likelihood of disease and whether there is need for preventative fungicide applications. Other management tools and information are available on this site.
• Iowa Soybean Association - Comprehensive information on the soybean industry. 
• Production of Food Grade Soybeans bulletin, Ohio State University Extension Research.

Businesses/Case Studies

• Iowa Family Farm Tofu Business Grows, Market to Market, Iowa Public Television, 2003.
• Iowa Soy Specialties, LLC, Vinton, Iowa - This case study, prepared by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in 2000, summarizes future growth strategies and potential for Iowa Soy.
• Island Spring Tofu, Vashon Island, Washington, PCC Natural Markets, 2005.
• Seapoint Farms, Costa Mesa, California - Seapoint is the largest importer and manufacturer of edamame products in the United States.
• SoyLink TM, Oskaloosa, Iowa - This plant is the only one in the world that makes its primary product--a milled small-particle soy powder--and uses a new technology that removes the beany flavor characteristic of other soybean powders, according to Dr. Noel Rudie.
• The Story Behind Soyfoods is in the Seeds, Market to Market, Iowa Public Television, 2004 - The new FDA requirement to list trans fat on food labels has created a renewed interest in low-linolenic soybeans.

Links checked April 2011.