Views from the Cab

By David Tollefson, Columnist

In 1962 my dad and I were just beginning to grow soybeans. It was a new crop around here, to supplement the basic corn, alfalfa, oats and wheat on a lot of farms.

Going way back, a guy named Henry Ford was instrumental in “growing” automobile parts on the farm.  

In 1919 Ford purchased a large tract in northern Michigan, to provide a dependable source of both hard and soft woods.

Ford was the first car manufacturer to acquire its own rubber plantations. He was also the first car manufacturer to provide its own tung oil for paints and enamels, by planting tung tree groves.

Perhaps the most striking example of this partnership of farm and factory is the Ford development of the soya bean. He believed that industry and agriculture should complement one another. In the 1930’s he pursued soybeans as a crop that might unite the two. By 1933 he produced oil for paints, and molded ground meal into small plastic car parts, like gear shift knobs.

But the second World War in the early 40’s put a halt to development.

From “thehenryford.org website comes information: “today, soybeans are still used extensively by Ford Motor Company. More than 32,000 soybeans are used to make some of the 300 pounds of plastic that go into every Ford vehicle.”

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From the July-August edition of “Minnesota Soybean Business” come some highlights of the advance of the soybean industry in Minnesota:

• September 1962: Thirty years after Minnesota’s soybean acreage reaches 1,000 acres, 25 farmers gather in Sleepy Eye, Minn., for the first meeting of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.  American Soybean Association president Charlie Simpson is named temporary secretary.

• December 1962: Membership dues are set at $12.50 ($119 in 2022 dollars).  Former ASA President John Evans is MSGA’s first elected president.

• 1963: Half-cent checkoff first proposed. MSGA becomes first state affiliate of the ASA. To increase membership, dues lowered to $5.

• 1967: Half-cent checkoff resolution passes at MSGA’s fifth annual meeting. Membership level reaches 1,000.

• 1969: For the first time, more than half of the U.S. soybean crop is exported Yearly membership dues raised to $10.

• 1970: American Soybean Association holds 50th anniversary in Minneapolis. MSGA advocates Legislature for soybean research funding. First statewide yield contest held; winner reports 53.12 bushel per acre average.

• 1973: Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council board meets for the first time; half-cent checkoff passes by 75% majority. U.S. government imposes first of four grain embargoes.

• 1982: One farmer feeds 115 people. MSGA works with Sen. David Durenberger to introduce legislation against future grain embargoes.

• 1988: MSGA hires first lobbying team. National soybean checkoff launches. MSGA holds first “Soy Shopping Spree.”  Soybeans are “Featured Commodity” at State Fair.

• 1989: State passes bill recommending all government offices print with soy ink. MSGA purchases “Wheel of Soy” to promote soy ink and soy cooking oil.

• 2000: B5 legislation introduced by Rep. Torrey Westrom. USDA announces $300 million renewable fuels program. President Clinton visits Minnesota soybean farm. 

• 2002: Minnesota’s biodiesel mandate becomes law. Soybeans recognized as a program crop in Farm Bill.  Kristin Weeks Duncanson is elected first female president of MSGA.

• 2004: Federal biodiesel tax credit signed into law; biodiesel production triples within one year. President George W. Bush tours a Minnesota farm during campaign stop.

• 2007: At Farmfest, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announces plan to raise biodiesel blends to 20%.

• 2008: Gov. Pawlenty signs B20 bill into law. Financial crisis hits U.S., reducing value of the 2008 soybean crop by more than $1 billion.

• October 2017: Exports to China reach $14 billion – roughly one of four rows of Minnesota soybeans are shipped to China.

• 2022: MSGA returns to in-person Hill visits in St. Paul and DC. Soybean prices reach decade-high; demand for soybean oil skyrockets. The future for MSGA is bright!

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From Ann Grandy, at the Pope County Historical Society, comes from what she calls “our soybean exhibit at the Museum.”  My thanks to her:

Soybeans were first planted in Pope County in 1930.

In that year, soybeans grew on 54 acres.  The yield was only 33 bushels total.

In 2017, soybeans grew on almost 94,000 acres (28% of Pope County farm land). The yield was just under 14 bushels per acre. That is 1,284,557 bushels of soybeans.

What do you do with soybeans?

The beans are 18% oil and 38% protein.  One bushel will produce 11 pounds of soybean oil and 47 pounds of soybean meal.

The raw soybean oil can be refined for cooking and other edible uses, or sold for biodiesel production or industrial uses.

Soybean oil is commonly found in margarine, salad dressing, mayonnaise and baked goods.

The soybean meal is a high-protein fiber that is toasted for animal feed. Poultry, hogs, cattle, household pets and fish eat food made from soybeans.

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Please contact David Tollefson with thoughts or comments on this or future columns at: adtollef@hcinet.net