We are all too familiar with soybeans as a crop, both on the family table and in our daily lives. Soybeans are not only a food, but also indispensable in a variety of soy products such as edible oil, tofu and soy milk.
So, which country grows the most soybeans in the world?
The United States and China are the world's two largest agricultural countries, and soybean cultivation is also extensive. The U.S. has been the world's highest producer of soybeans for decades, and although Brazil overtook the U.S. in a few years, the U.S. quickly regained the title. But what about how China and the U.S. compare when it comes to soybean farming?
The history of growing soybeans in the United States.
Back in the early 19th century, the world began to sail a sport. It was at this time that China's soybeans boarded a cargo ship that sailed to the Americas and sailed all the way across the ocean to the United States.
Soybeans are quickly becoming a very important and popular new crop in the continental United States.
At first, soybeans were not a very concerned crop in the United States, and it was only known that the crop could be made into edible products. This continued for a century, and it was not until the early 20th century that the United States realized that soybeans could be extracted as edible oil, making them a rare oil crop.
Subsequently, World War II broke out on a global scale. With the beginning of the Pacific War, Japan directly blocked the shipping route of soybeans to the United States, which had a huge impact on the United States to use soybeans to produce edible oil, forcing the United States to grow soybeans on its own.
In 1941, the United States** launched the first soybean support program. In just one year, the U.S. surpassed China, the earliest country of origin, in soybean production. Over time, Americans have come to discover the economic benefits and benefits that soybeans bring.
Today, soybeans have become one of the most important and abundant agricultural products in the United States, surpassing even wheat and corn. Not only is the U.S. soybean grown in large quantities, but it also has relatively high yields per acre, producing about 3,200 kilograms.
In addition, the U.S. technology in the soybean field is very mature. Nowadays, almost all farms in the United States are mechanized, and there is basically no need for too much manual labor. Of course, it is also possible that the labor cost in the United States is very high. Either way, the U.S. has shown remarkable strength in the development of soybeans. The U.S. has not always been the world's largest producer of soybeans. In Brazil and Argentina, two regions, they are a special case in soybean production due to their similar geographical and soil conditions to those of the United States.
In fact, Brazil's main crop is soybeans, and the annual export of soybeans is about or sometimes higher than that of the United States, which can be said to be the "number one rival" of the United States in soybean production.
Let's first talk about the layout of the soybean industry between China and the United States. Now, the U.S. and China have significant differences in soybean planting layout and planning. For China, soybeans are generally grown in North and Northeast China, and the rest of the region is basically near the Yangtze River basin.
Of the three regions, the Northeast is arguably the largest and most important one, as it is the main production base for soybeans in China. Specifically, soybeans in Northeast China are mainly concentrated near Heilongjiang, and soybean cultivation in Heilongjiang directly accounts for about 35% of the country's soybean planting. Not only that, Heilongjiang also has a very high soybean yield, accounting for about 38% of China's total soybean production. Moreover, the soybeans in Heilongjiang have many advantages, the most important of which is that the grains are full.
Why is it important to have full particles?
Because only soybeans with full grains can get a high oil yield and are rich in protein and nutrients. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the soybeans in Heilongjiang are the best soybeans grown in the country.
In addition to the northeast, soybeans in China are also widely cultivated in the Huanghuai Plain. Among them, Anhui Province, Jiangsu Province, Henan Province and Shandong Province are the regions with the most soybean cultivation, which constitute a relatively complete soybean planting chain. Soybean production in these regions accounts for about 30% of the country's total production, which is also a fairly high percentage.
In addition to the Huanghuai Plain, soybeans in China are also grown in many parts of the Yangtze River basin, such as southern China. In these areas, soybean cultivation is also large and yields are considerable. The above is the main soybean cultivation distribution in China.
The distribution of soybeans in the United States bears a slight resemblance to China, where soybeans are grown mainly around the Mississippi River and in the vast Central Plains. However, the U.S. considers soybeans to be the most important cash crop, with 18 states ranking soybeans as the most important crop.
Soybeans account for about one-third of the total arable land in the United States. There are even states that account for about half of the soybean acreage (e.g., Ohio, Mississippi, Indian, etc.). And the gap between soybean production between China and the United States is very large, so why is China's soybean production lower than that of the United States?This is due to a variety of factors such as soybean cultivation patterns, mechanization levels, and geography in both China and the United States. The U.S. produces about 100 million tons of soybeans a year, while only about 5500 million acres.
China's soybean yield is about 260 catties per mu, far lower than the 400 catties to 500 catties in the United States. Even in the central region of the United States, soybean yields can reach a staggering 800 to 1,000 catties per acre in some places, which is more than three times that of China. Among them, the main problems that lead to this gap can be divided into two categories. First of all, there are many differences between China and the United States when it comes to soybean farming. The U.S. has adopted regionalization, large-scale soybean cultivation, and mechanization throughout the planting-to-harvest process, resulting in increased efficiency.
However, these factors alone are not enough to explain this gap. Because the Chinese people work very hard, and the level of mechanization is on par with theirs. The point is that Chinese and American soybean varieties are different. Soybeans in the United States are genetically modified varieties that are somewhat resistant to pesticides and other drugs, thus reducing the harm of pests. In addition to the above problems, there are also certain differences in the soils between China and the United States, which lead to different growth conditions in the soybean planting process. For example, soybeans in China typically have higher calorie content, while soybeans in the United States have higher oil and protein content.
Professionals compared soybeans in the United States and China, and found that the oil content of soybeans in the United States can basically reach more than 20%, while the oil content of soybeans in China is only about 17%, and the protein content in China is about 30%, while the United States is about one-third. Wait and see, let's ** this question. When it comes to soybeans, the U.S. has always been very research-oriented, and they know that soybeans are the country's most important cash crop.
In contrast, although China's attention to soybeans is not low, it is still inferior to the United States. This situation has made the United States the hegemon of soybeans in the agricultural sector.
However, it is worth noting that the soybean acreage in the United States far exceeds that of our country, and is only more than three times that of our country. Despite the fact that there are many other crops in our country, even so, our soybean production is only slightly lower than that of Brazil. In terms of soybean production, China still has a lot of room for development, let's wait and see what changes will occur in the future.