Long‐term soybean composition patterns and their effect on processing

Soybean protein and oil data from eight years of national surveys showed Western Corn Belt soybeans to consistently be one percentage point lower in protein than soybeans from the rest of the nation. There was year‐to‐year vasiability in protein patterns among other regions. Oil percentages were more variable than protein percentages among different years. Except for the far northern states, which typically produce low protein soybeans, improvement and stabilization of oil content would produce the most certain increases in processor yields. Increased protein would be valuable only if soybean meal were priced to reward protein content in excess of specifications.