I write daily about the economics surrounding soybeans and other grains commodities, but I can honestly say I know very little about the HISTORY of soybeans. When were soybeans first cultivated? And…
Category: Commodities
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans (Vol.7) – From 1971 to Present
Starting in the early 1970s, Latin America, led by Brazil, began to emerge as a major soybean producing area. In 1974, Brazil’s production passed that of China and in 1975 Latin America’s…
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans (Vol.6) – From 1957 to 1970
Prior to 1956, the majority of the world’s soybeans had been produced in Asia. However, in that year the center of world soybean production shifted to the western hemisphere as the United…
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans (Vol.5) – From 1942 to 1956
Spurred since 1940 by a wartime need for domestic sources of fats, oils, and meal, the United States doubled its soybean production between 1941 and 1942, passing both Manchuria and China in…
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans (Vol.4) – From 1931 to 1941
Starting in the early 1930s, America began to emerge as a major soybean producer, passing Japan in 1931, Korea in 1934, and almost overtaking Manchuria in 1941. During this same period, soybean…
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans (Vol.3) – From 1908 to 1930
In 1908, the first shipment of soybeans to the West was made by Japanese firms from Manchuria to England. During the next two decades, exports of soybeans and soy oil from Manchuria…
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans (Vol.2) – From Ancient Times to 1907
Since ancient times, China had been the world’s foremost soybean producing country. In the earliest period for which we have records (1909-1913), China proper (not including Manchuria) produced an estimated 71.5% of…
A Giant-Sized History Of Soybeans (Vol.1) – Phases of Development
The history of world soybean production and trade can be divided into six phases: All production and Trade in East Asia (from ancient times to 1907) Since ancient times, China has been…
18 Things You Might Not Know About Steel’s Alloys and Uses
While many of us associate the introduction of steel into economics with the start of the First Industrial Revolution, steel has actually been around for a VERY long time. Steel has always…
47 Things You Might Not Know About Steel’s History
While many of us associate the introduction of steel into economics with the start of the First Industrial Revolution, steel has actually been around for a VERY long time. Steel has always…