(Photo credit: Iowa Soybean Association)
Rural Route 2: Sea of soy
August 1, 2024 | Bethany Baratta
There’s a sea of green all around me. The space between the houses near our home provides a window into the soybean field just beyond our neighborhood.
We’ve been watching numerous fields all spring and summer. First, wondering what might be planted in the fields around us. Then, watching the planting progress. We’ve seen the fluctuating field conditions and occasional ponding (though no tornado damage or extreme flooding as other parts of the state have seen).
As we continue the summer lessons of soy, we wonder where the growing soy might end up after it’s harvested. Will it be fed to livestock nearby? Will it make its way around the world? Will it be in the box of crayons we’ll inevitably buy before the next school year expires?
This month, we celebrate Soybean Month in Iowa. It’s an opportunity to bring attention to the crop responsible for feeding and fueling so many throughout the world. It’s a nod to farmers in this state whose strength and resiliency isn’t defined by one month per year — but several.
Perhaps Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said it best when reflecting on last year’s harvest. At 58 bushels per acre and 573 million bushels of production, the 2023 soybean crop ranked as the fourth highest yield and third highest production in Iowa history, contributing to the country’s fourth highest yield and seventh largest soybean crop ever.
“Even with all the weather challenges last year, Iowa remained a production powerhouse and that’s a testament to the assistance of timely rains, the resiliency of Iowa farmers, and continuous improvements in genetics, traits, equipment, technology, production methods and many other innovations.”
No doubt there’s been challenges with this year’s crop. We’ve seen tornadoes, flooding, early emergence of pests and economic conditions that haven’t been favorable for farmers. And yet, the people who rely on soy from Iowa and the U.S. will still get the high quality soy they’ve come to favor. The sea of green around me thinks of my family back home raising crops and all of you who work and worry about the weather and the price forecasts. I celebrate you this month — Soybean Month in Iowa — and every month. Thank you.
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