Soybeans grown in the Upper Midwest may not boast the highest protein contents, but they hold other qualities that make them attractive to international buyers, according to the latest Soy Quality Report.
Dr. Seth Naeve’s lab at the University of Minnesota conducted the 2023 U.S. Annual Soy Quality Report. Naeve travels to China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan each year to present the report. The United Soybean Board and checkoff dollars fund the report.
“Purchasers know what the quality of the soybeans have been from the U.S. over the past year,” Naeve said. “With this report, we can basically say to them, ‘OK, these are the kinds of changes you might see in protein and oil or amino acids in the next year.’ It gives them a little bit of a heads up for what’s coming.”
The report reveals that “all purchasers will find as-is protein and oil levels to be higher in 2023 crop soybeans than usual.” The report includes data from an initial 1,169 samples and serves as the preview of the 2023 U.S. soybean crop. The final report, which will include late harvested soybean samples, will be available in the first week of 2024.
Soybeans grown in Northern Soy Marketing member states – Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska – don’t boast the highest crude protein contents. But they do have other qualities that make them an attractive option for international purchasers.
“We know that northern-grown soybeans don’t have the highest protein content,” says Patrick O’Leary, NSM chair. “But, the report highlights other qualities – like foreign material, sucrose and amino acid content – that put our beans and meal on the soy quality leaderboard.”
Read the report: https://www.soyquality.com/soybean-quality-reports/.