Soybean oil finds its way into food products such as margarine, salad dressings and cooking oils. In fact, soy beans are now found on almost every aisle of the supermarket. The journey to many supermarket shelves began right here in Arkansas.
Grown in more than 50 percent of the state, soybeans are the largest row crop in Arkansas, covering more acres than rice, corn, sorghum and wheat combined. Soybeans, sometimes called “miracle beans,” deliver essential nutrients and high-quality protein to people and farm animals.
Recently, Governor Hutchinson declared November as Arkansas Soy Bean month. Arkansas ranks 10th in the nation for soybean production. And recently for the first time in state history, Arkansas achieved a state yield average of 50 bushels per acre.
In 1925, Jacob Hartz Sr. planted and harvested the first recorded crop in Arkansas. Today soybeans are among Arkansas’s most valuable crops. The 3.1 million acres harvested last year in 41 of Arkansas’s 75 counties yielded 145.7 million bushels valued at $1.4 billion.
In 1971, the Arkansas General Assembly established the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board to provide producers in the state with an organization that works to improve the soybean industry. The board consists of nine unpaid soybean producers nominated by various agricultural organizations within Arkansas and appointed by the governor.
Wrapping up the 2017 harvest, the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board (ASPB) is partnering with Arkansas-owned restaurants across the state during Arkansas Soybean Month for their educational food program, the Kitchen|Fields Table Tour. Developed to raise awareness about the soybean industry in Arkansas, the Kitchen|Fields Table Tour encourages Arkansans and all who visit the restaurants to eat soy foods and soy-fed protein, such as pork, beef, turkey and chicken because of the essential nutrients and high-quality protein received in their diets.
During the month of November, Kitchen|Fields Table Tour partner restaurants serve a featured dish dedicated to Arkansas soybean producers. For more information about Arkansas’s soybean industry, the Kitchen|Fields Table Tour partners and the versatility of soybeans, visit www.TheMiracleBean.com.