| the humble
soybean has certainly come a long way on its journey to becoming a $14 billion commodity,
and the second biggest cash crop. However, this didn’t happen on its own, it had to
be created by people of vision, people from various backgrounds who were willing to put
aside their differences yet focus on their individual strengths in order to find the
common ground necessary to build an entirely new industry. And part of this success can
certainly be attributed to the soybean itself for it’s high content of oil and
protein. In 1994, soybeans provided nearly 80% of all edible fats and oils consumed in the
United States. By comparison, a bushel of soybeans contains three times as much protein as
a bushel of wheat, and four times as much protein as an equal weight of corn. Soybeans are
now responsible for more than 60% of the world’s total protein meal consumption.
The fact that soybean
meal is the finest ration for poultry has played, and will continue to play, a big role in
the demand for soybeans. During the 1950s, the US broiler industry really took off, and in
the 1960s, Europe experienced a similar phenomenon. By 1970, four-fifths of all soybean
meal was consumed by poultry and hogs, and soybeans were supplying more protein for
livestock and poultry around the world than any other source.
Significant contributions
to the use of soybeans include products such as soy oil margarine, soy cooking oils, soy
milk, soy meat replacements, soy-flour enriched bread, and unusual products such as
"Bac-Os." Another occurrence that looked favorably on the soybean industry was
the development of the "fast food" restaurant. These high volume chains
increased the demand for oil in the United States, Japan and other countries.
Orginally published in 1996 in the 50th
Anniversary Edition of the Soya Bluebook. |
