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Higher Soybean Quality from Conservation Practices

by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist

This information was presented at the January 2022, Southwest Iowa Soil Health Meeting. The topic was soybean quality from a public and private perspective and how soil health can influence that work. The presenters were Drew Clemmensen with the Iowa Soybean Association and Dustin Brucker with Benson Hill.

They discussed the fact that protein content in soybeans has been steadily decreasing over the last 25 years. The ideal protein content in soybeans is about 40%, but the average protein value of soybeans grown in the United States is around 35%, according to a study published by Ciampitti Lab.  Reasons given for this are the development of traits and genetic selection for yield over protein.   Declining protein levels make soybeans less valuable to their largest consumer, the livestock industry.

A USDA factsheet estimated that 70 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. were used for animal feed, and 15% went to production of food for human consumption. As a major source of food protein, the decline in protein content is a concern for soybean quality. This also impacts soybean exports as declining protein levels make the beans less valuable.  This had led to collaborative efforts between universities, organizations, and corporations to boost soybean protein content and provide producers with ways to earn premiums for growing higher quality soybeans.

The Iowa Soybean Association has been working on a collaborative project to help farmers identify their potential economic return from a soybean quality determination. As part of this collaborative study, researchers from across multiple states, with support from the United Soybean Board, are working to identify specific practices that will maintain high levels of protein.

Initial findings from the study indicate that diverse crop rotations are a factor in giving soybeans a protein boost, and that some management practices, such as no-till, early planting dates, and lower seed populations, help a crop maintain quality after harvest. Diverse crop rotations would be at a minimum 3 different crops, such as corn, bean, small grain with cover crops after the row crop years.

Benson Hill, a soybean and yellow pea company dedicated to producing higher protein lines, is also working on ways to correlate conservation practices with increased soybean quality. They are focused on sustainability and finding ways for their growers to capture economic returns by marketing the value of conservation practices.