Soybeans Interesting Facts - China To Buy Billions of Dollars Worth from USA

 China's Vice President Xi Jinping is visiting  Iowa, where Chinese buyers have pledged to buy $4.3 billion worth of soybeans from the USA. That is nearly 9 million metric tons of soybeans to be bought from American companies. The Chinese trade representatives are expected to sign another soybean deal when they travel with to California. The total purchase amount of soybeans should be 12 million metric tons. That would be the most soybeans China has ever purchased from the USA during one visit.

Soybean fields are a common site on the Eastern Shore.
Here a some some interesting facts about soybeans provided by VOA.

What are Soybeans?
*An edible bean high in protein cultivated in China as many as 3000 years ago. The soybean has been used in a number of traditional Asian foods, including soy sauce, tofu and edamame.

Where do Soybeans grow?
*Nearly 260 million metric tons of soybeans were produced worldwide in 2010. The U.S. grew the largest percentageof soybeans — more than a third — followed by Brazil and Argentina.

What are Soybeans used for?
*Besides the traditional Asian foods, soybeans today are processed into a variety of products:
– Soybean oil: soybeans are about 18% oil, which can be extracted and is used in margarine, mayonnaise, in cooking, and to pack canned food, like tuna.
– Soybean meal: the high-protein meal left over after the oil is extracted is a major component of livestock feed.
– Biodiesel: remove the glycerin from soybean oil and what remains is soy biodiesel, which can be used as an energy source.
– Soy milk: a beverage made by straining out liquid after soybeans are soaked and ground up in water.
* Soybeans also can be used to make:
– Wax (used in crayons and candles)
– Inks
– Asphalt
– Lotion

What countries are the largest importers of Soybeans?
* China is the world's largest importer of soybeans, accounting for nearly 60% of the soybeans sold worldwide.
* The European Union is the second largest importer of soybeans and the world's largest importer of soybean meal.
* India also is a growing consumer of soybeans, which are a cheap source of protein for its surging population. But the government limits imports of soybean products, in preference to domestic suppliers.
* The U.S. is the world's largest soybean exporter, but also is a large soybean consumer.







Soybeans have many uses. From soy milk to biodiesel. Learn more at Eastern Shore Magazine.

Have you ever eaten Edamame?

Edamame are green soybeans, harvested before it reaches the "hardening" time.  Salt-boiled edamame in pods are eaten by squeezing beans out of pods with fingers and are very popular in Japan. The name Edamame originates from Japan and means "twig bean" (eda = "twig" + mame = "bean") referring to young soybeans cropped with their twigs. Edamame also means the salt-boiled dish because of its popularity.

Soybeans Learn Interesting Facts

Biofuels and High Food Prices

June 14, 2011

US Official: Biofuels 'Scapegoat' for High Food Prices

VOA - Steve Baragona

With food prices at or near record highs, agriculture ministers from the Group of 20 major economies will be meeting for the first time next week in Paris. Critics say one factor putting pressure on food prices is the use of food crops to produce biofuels like ethanol.  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday said the American ethanol industry plays only a minor role in rising food prices. But he added government support for the industry may be waning.

Secretary Vilsack told a luncheon gathering in Washington not to believe everything one hears about ethanol's role in today's high and volatile food prices. "The truth of the matter is that corn-based ethanol does not deserve the scapegoat reputation that some folks often attempt to assign to it," he said.

Biofuels Powering Jets, Helicopters and Boats in U.S. Navy

Biofuels Powering Navy Jets, Helicopters and Boats
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus speaks to VOA about the Navy's use of biofuels made from algae and mustard seed.

Rebecca Ward | Washington, D.C. February  2011 - VOA

Environmentalists have long complained that so long as diesel or gasoline remains relatively inexpensive, there is little incentive to come up with alternative, greener energies for transportation. But the price of oil and gasoline isn't the only reason to go green. The United States Navy says they are making a tactical decision to find cleaner alternatives. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus says that by 2012, the military branch plans to demonstrate a carrier strike group that uses alternative fuels.

“We're calling that the 'great green fleet,’ like we call the F-18 Hornet that's flying on biofuels, the Green Hornet.”

The Navy has successfully tested biofuels in various air and sea craft. Secretary Mabus says instead of purchasing new vehicles that run on alternative energy, the Navy has found biofuels that can work with its current fleet.

"We have certified the F-18. We have certified the helicopter. We have certified the Riverine boat. We're working on other combatants now. And it's because we've got most of the airplanes, we've got most of the ships, most of the boats we're going to have over the next 10 years. And if we're going to reach the goal of producing half of all our energy from non-fossil fuel sources, we're going to have to do it with the equipment we've got."

Using greener fuels, Secretary Mabus says, may be good for the environment and the economy. But the push toward alternative energies is also a strategic move.

"We buy too much fuel from the most potentially volatile places on earth. We wouldn't allow them to buy our ships and aircraft. But we do give them a 'vote' on whether those ships sail and those aircraft fly because we do buy fuel from them. We also have very tactical reasons for it. To get a gallon of gasoline to a Marine frontline in Afghanistan, it's very expensive, it's very difficult, and it's very dangerous.”

For consumers, fuel produced from algae, wood chips, mustard seed or other organic sources has yet to be mass marketed. But Secretary Mabus says that is likely to change as the military’s demand for alternative energy grows.

"The military oftentimes is the cutting edge of technology and the rest of America follows. And I think that's because (of) how much energy we use, the market we can establish and driving the price down, making sure the infrastructure is being constructed. Then it makes it really easy to move it into the bigger economy and move it out of the military sphere."

For now, the U.S. Navy is using a biofuel blend that includes petroleum products. The reason about 50 percent of petroleum fuel is included is for engine lubrication. But Secretary Mabus says with continued research, biofuels may eventually be able to deliver the correct amount of lubrication on their own.





Biofuels Powering Navy Jets, Helicopters and Boats

Article from VOA Feb 1, 2011