Small Bean, Big Dreams.
“Small bean, big dreams” is a fitting motto for the versatile soybean plant. Known as the “Cadillac” of protein sources, soybeans nourish the people and animals of the world. Soybeans also help us reduce reliance on petroleum through hundreds of renewable product innovations that enhance our everyday lives. All this from a bean so small that it takes around 150,000 soybeans to fill one bushel. Good things do come in small packages!
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Soybeans have a rich history from their creation in China 5,000 years ago. In our country, they started from humble beginnings, serving as ballast for Chinese ships coming to America. Making their U.S. agricultural debut in 1829 for soy sauce, inventors like George Washington Carver and Henry Ford embraced soybeans for plastics, printing inks and a range of industrial uses.Dreams Become Reality Between 1945 and 1985 the annual soybean harvest increased eleven-fold. Today, America grows around three billion bushels of soybeans and accounts for more than one-third of the world's soybean crop. It represents a $16 billion crop that strengthens our country’s balance of trade while providing a domino effect of job growth and prosperity.
The dreams of our early architects of innovation are reality today. For example, soybeans can be grown in space. Their compact nutrition and flavor variety is key to our astronauts. This small bean continues to dream and achieve – enabling soy to change our world.

At 55 grams of protein per day, one acre of soybeans can meet a person’s dietary protein needs for 8,400 days
A Reflection of American ValuesThe soybean farmer captures the heart of American values that have made our country strong:
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Celebrate the land by being a good steward of its natural resources
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Conserve resources for future generations by using every part of the soybean wisely
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Replace finite resources like petroleum with this plentiful, annually renewable plant
Today’s soybean farmers represent a fundamental core for rural communities and the world – creating a tangible gift of goodwill that reaches people across the globe through food, energy and other vital products.

A 60-pound bushel of soybeans yields about 48 pounds of protein-rich meal and 11 pounds of versatile oil.
Soy Enhances Our Everyday LivesAfter soybeans are harvested, they are cleaned, cracked and de-hulled. The soybean oil is separated from the soybean meal.Soybean oil is then refined for margarine, salad and cooking oils, plus hundreds of consumer products. The newspaper that arrives at your door each morning – printed with soy ink. The foam insulation and carpet backing in your home – made from soy plastic. Not a day goes by without touching or tasting something made of soy. The elevators taking visitors to the top of the Statue of Liberty rely on a soy hydraulic fluid. Whether it’s candles, cleaners, crayons, cosmetics, concrete sealers, dust control, engine oil, fuel, industrial lubricants, paints, roof coatings or varnishes, soy creates natural, renewable products from A to Z.Soybean meal represents 68 percent of the world’s protein meal consumption. It serves as nutrition for hundreds of species including poultry, swine, cattle, fish, dogs and cats. Soybean meal also creates wood adhesives, biodegradable plastics, printing inks and textiles.Every part of the soybean is used wisely. Lecithin is extracted from soybean oil for pharmaceuticals, protective coatings and emulsifiers that keep chocolate and cocoa butter in candy from separating. The soybean hull is used as a high-fiber ingredient for breads and crackers. Even the soybean stubble that remains on fields after harvest can be collected to make building materials.Soy Equals HealthHealthy people. Hundreds of food products rely on heart-healthy soy for their nutritional value. From energy bars to yogurt, tortillas, pastas, new low linolenic oils and more, soy protein and oil enhance mainstream foods. Textured soy protein provides efficient nutrition in a way that mirrors the flavor and texture of chicken, beef, or pork – even according to the most discriminating audience – chefs.

One shipping container holds more than seven tons of textured soy protein and can nourish 1,800 people for a four-month period.
Soy protein is important beyond developed countries. It saves lives by combating hunger and fighting disease. For instance, research shows protein requirements of HIV/AIDS-infected people can be 50 to 100 percent higher than uninfected people. Soy protein is an ideal solution to improving nutrition.Soy enhances health in other ways as well. Soy-based fuels like biodiesel replace petroleum diesel, reducing particulate matter and emissions linked to cancer in the process. Soy candles burn cleaner – helping the air we breathe and reducing soot in our homes.Healthy environment. Growing soybeans helps the soil by adding nitrogen to it. And by growing around three billion bushels of soybeans each year, we create a sustainable resource that’s replenished with each year’s crop. This replaces many finite petroleum-based products and preserves resources for future generations.Consider a renewable fuel called soy biodiesel. It takes only a small percentage of each bushel of soybeans to make this fuel. A diesel car running on soy biodiesel can actually get 3,000 miles per acre, plus leave an excess of 80% of each bushel to feed the world.Since each acre of soybeans is annually renewable, soy sustains resources to help meet our energy demands. Plus, soy biodiesel is as harmless to the environment as table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar.Soy products can help the environment in so many ways. Soy ink makes it easier to de-ink and recycle newspapers. While many petroleum-based plastics can outlast a person’s lifetime in our landfills before they biodegrade, soy plastics biodegrade very quickly.Healthy economy. The soybean industry has a major impact on the U.S. economy. The value of the soybean crop alone is $16 billion. Then add soybean production, processing and product manufacturing to its economic value. Soybeans create American jobs and create a multiplier effect of economic development.Soybean exports and the use of domestic soy biodiesel reduce our reliance on foreign oil – improving our country’s balance of trade. Soy biodiesel has the potential to replace a portion of the 60 billion gallons of petroleum used each year in semi trucks, farm and construction equipment, home heating, boats, trains, electrical generators, and other diesel equipment. The vast majority of this petroleum diesel is imported.Whether it’s human, environmental or economic health, we’ve realized the dream of soy in thousands of ways. And soybean technology is still reaching for the stars in food and scientific laboratories across the globe. This small bean continues to stretch the imagination and explore new frontiers of innovation.What can you accomplish in your life? Let soy be the inspiration.Dream. Achieve. Tap your inner bean.Small bean, big dreams…made possible through the Iowa Soybean Checkoff