Minnesota’s “miracle bean”

You’ve passed them countless times — acres of green stretching to the horizon along Minnesota highways. But did you know those soybean fields help fuel cars, feed the world, build everyday products, and drive billions of dollars in economic value for Minnesota? Often called the “miracle bean,” soybeans are at the heart of one of the state’s most important industries—and the University of Minnesota has helped lead that story from the very beginning.

Originally cultivated in China at least 5,000 years ago, soybeans were brought to Minnesota in 1902. While the acres planted started small, the amount increased quickly each year. According to a report from the United Soybean Board and the National Oilseed Processors Association, Minnesota is now the third-largest soybean producing state in the U.S., growing over 7.35 million acres. Soybeans are the state’s number one agricultural export with more than $2 billion in sales. Add in the value of soy products produced in Minnesota, and soy is a clear economic powerhouse generating over $10 billion annually. 

Soybean usage continues to expand, with a wide market due to their versatility. Originally used as forage for animals and as a “plow-down” crop to add nitrogen to the soil, soy is now used for almost anything you can think of - from a complete protein adding vital nutrition in many food products, to animal feed, to biodiesel, to crayons, candles, plastic composites, paint, carpet, roofing, resins, and even a new, ecological fire-fighting foam. The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council estimates the biodiesel industry alone has a $1.7 billion economic impact in Minnesota. 

Soybeans and soy products are helping us move agriculture into the future, to feed the world, provide new, sustainable alternatives to multiple industries, and improve environmental, human, plant, and animal health. 

Because soybeans fix nitrogen into the soil and offer high oil content, they serve as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based oils and plastics. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency classifies soy-based biodiesel as an advanced biofuel for its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent. 

A history of innovation

The College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) has been key in the development of soybeans right from the beginning. In 1946, University of Minnesota agronomist Jean Lambert, originally hired as a barley breeder, began experimenting with breeding soybeans. By 1954 he had switched entirely to soybeans and released ‘Renville’ - the first variety bred specifically for Minnesota. Jim Orf took over the program in 1981 until 2015. The soybean breeding and genetics program continues to this day under the guidance of Aaron Lorenz. In the past 80 years, hundreds of varieties have been developed by the University of Minnesota, from special, high oil content soybeans for oil markets and biodiesel, to ones with desirable compositional profiles for products like soymilk, natto, and tofu. 

“Soybeans today yield well over three times as much as they did back in the 1940s. About 60-75% of this increase in yield can be attributed to improved varieties,” said Lorenz. But they do more than just work to increase yields in soybean varieties. They are also trying to get ahead of pests and diseases.

“The soybean cyst nematode [roundworm] is the number one problem that keeps coming up,” said Lorenz. “The main thing about soybean cyst nematode, that’s a concern to farmers, is that the current resistance that most Minnesota farmers use comes from one single source first deployed over 30 years ago” he explained. “Since it’s been used so long and so often, there’s been resistance breakdown.” In order to stay ahead of the evolving problem, he and his team are using new genetic research tools to identify new sources of resistance and breed them into varieties adapted to Minnesota. 

Lorenz’s research team is also thinking about how soybeans can play a role in biofuels. Biodiesel demand is growing, and so is the need for soybeans with higher oil content.

“We understand there’s a lot of potential future demand for renewable diesel, which is going to require a lot more oil,” Lorenz says. “Over the long term, we’d like to increase the oil content in soybeans, from around 22% to maybe closer to 30%, to make it a higher-oil crop and more valuable from that standpoint.”

Partnerships across the state

The soybean breeding program isn’t the only way researchers and students engage with the soy industry. From precision agriculture to soil science, from disease identification to innovating new soy-based products, CFANS is constantly partnering with farmers and the business sector right here in Minnesota. 

“Our partners at the University of Minnesota are critical in helping Minnesota’s nearly 26,000 soybean farmers in our quest to improve yields, develop new varieties and effectively manage weeds and diseases across our state,” says Corey Hanson, a farmer in Norman County and Director of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council Director. “I’ve seen firsthand how the checkoff dollars we’ve invested through the University of Minnesota for over 50 years have improved on-farm profitability and continue to grow a brighter future for our state’s agriculture industry.”

The partnership extends far beyond the St. Paul campus to all corners of the state. There are ten Research and Outreach Centers across the state, seven of which do significant agronomy research. Embedded in the state and the community, researchers and growers learn from each other, working together to increase ecosystem benefits and ensuring a safe, and sustainable food supply. Working in the various local soils and climates of Minnesota, growers and researchers can identify specific, local challenges. From addressing nutrient deficiencies in sandy soils, to changing rainfall patterns - they work together to implement cutting edge solutions. 

A sustainable solution 

Soybeans and soy products are helping us move agriculture into the future, to feed the world, provide new, sustainable alternatives across multiple industries, and improve environmental, human, plant, and animal health. As biodiesel, the EPA has classified it as an advanced biofuel for its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent. Researchers at CFANS are leading the way in replacing fossil-fuel-based industrial adhesives with soy based ones instead. At the Precision Agriculture Center, students and faculty are utilizing AI to maximize yield and balancing sustainability and environmental concerns. They are even finding new ways to reduce fertilizer inputs and increase soybean germination. 

The work isn’t done - new challenges continue to arise. Students like Alina Smolskaya are paving the way for the future. She’s passionate about creating a more sustainable, food secure world. She’s working to make that a reality by mapping the genes in soybeans that control how many seeds develop in each soybean pod. The hope is to develop new, high yielding varieties of soybeans, allowing farmers to grow more on less land. 

Whether it’s genetic research for breeding soybeans, learning to be an agronomist, a plant pathologist, or soil scientist, CFANS students are getting hands-on learning in the field and in the lab, paving the future for Minnesota soybeans. From fighting pests and disease, breeding better plants, utilizing AI, or even finding new ways to use the “miracle bean," CFANS students, researchers, and faculty are there, continuing Minnesota’s soybean leadership tradition. 

Soybeans and soy products are helping move agriculture into the future — feeding the world, providing sustainable alternatives to multiple industries, and improving environmental, human, plant, and animal health. Learn more about CFANS' role in the research and development of this important crop in The Science of Soybeans.