Soybean
Glycine max
Soybean (Glycine max) is a warm-season annual legume widely grown in Zones 3-9. As a nitrogen-fixing crop, it improves soil fertility and serves as an excellent rotation partner with corn and small grains. Average U.S. yields are approximately 50-53 bushels per acre, with grain used for animal feed, oil extraction, and direct human consumption including tofu and edamame.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Soybeans are classified by maturity group (MG), ranging from 000 (earliest, northern latitudes) to X (latest, tropical). Select maturity groups adapted to local latitude and growing season length. Inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum is recommended when planting in fields without recent soybean history. Soybeans fix 50-60% of their nitrogen needs; additional N fertilization is generally not recommended and may suppress nodulation. Row spacing of 15 inches or less improves canopy closure and weed suppression. Soybeans are sensitive to photoperiod — short days trigger flowering. Harvest at 13% moisture for optimal storage. As a rotation crop, soybeans break pest and disease cycles of cereals and contribute 40-60 lbs N/acre credit to the following crop.
Growing Season
- Plant
- mid April – early June
- Harvest
- late September – late October
- Frost-free days
- 100+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,700 – 2,200
Yield
- Typical yield
- 3,180 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Years to full prod.
- 1
- Labor
- 8 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
No buyer on record for this crop in the catalog's buyer network.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "declining".
Supply Below Demand
No buyer network on record — cannot establish that regional demand absorbs additional supply.
Multiple Buyer Channels
0 recorded buyers and 3 documented market channels. Thin — dependent on few outlets.
Value-Added Potential
3 documented market channels, including value-added and direct-to-consumer routes.
Market Growth Projected
Mature grain market; growth over a 5-year horizon expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-9; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 1700 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~20 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 100 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 7 hardiness zones (3-9). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
4 documented equipment requirements. Within range adaptable from general row-crop or orchard equipment.
Storage Available
1 documented storage/handling requirement, all achievable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~20 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
grain crops need large contiguous acreage to be economic; the region's parcels are typically small and fragmented by topography.
Labor Availability
8 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Manageable with typical farm labor.
Processing Proximity
No processing or cooperative buyer on record for this crop; product would need to travel or be sold fresh.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Grain drill for narrow rows (7.5-15") or planter for 30" rows.
harvesting
Flex header critical for low-set pods. Adjust cylinder speed to minimize seed damage.
In-field grain transfer and transport to storage or market.
spraying
Herbicide, fungicide, insecticide application.
Storage Requirements
Grain bin (on-farm)
Temperature
35–50°F
Max Storage
365 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $613/ac vs catalog median $5,500/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost $480/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $5,387/ac. Within typical range.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 1 year. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Net return per labor hour $16.63 ($133/ac over 8 hr/ac) vs catalog median $13.16. Above median.
Grants/Subsidies
No specialty-crop or cover-crop incentive program identified for this grain crop.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $10/$/bu |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $541 |
| Annual Operating Cost | —/acre |
| Establishment Cost | —/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $450/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $91 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
| Subsidies | ARC-CO, PLC |
Source: USDA NASS 2025 Crop Production Summary, USDA ERS, regional extension budgets (2025)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
5 documented risk factors. Within the range manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
0 buyers, 3 channels. Concentrated — a single buyer exit would strand the crop.
Low Establishment Risk
1 year to full production. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-9 (7 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a grain revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Most damaging soybean pathogen. Causes stunting and yield loss, often without visible above-ground symptoms.
Oomycete favored by saturated soils. Causes damping-off and root/stem rot.
Fusarium virguliforme causing interveinal chlorosis/necrosis, root rot, premature defoliation.
pest
Colonizes growing points and leaf undersides. Economic threshold: 250 aphids/plant with increasing population.
weather
Most sensitive during flowering and pod fill. Drought during R3-R5 can reduce yields 40%+.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 446 kcal | 6,433,176 kcal |
| Protein | 36.5 g | 526,338 g |
| Total fat | 19.9 g | 287,618 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30.2 g | 435,033 g |
| Fiber | 9.3 g | 134,145 g |
| Sugar | 7.3 g | 105,729 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Pest suppression
- Non-host break in the corn rootworm life cyclehigh
Rotating to soybean removes the host plant corn rootworm larvae depend on, and NDSU rates crop rotation as the single most effective management tool for the pest.
Applies when: soybean grown the year following cornEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Soil nitrogen
- Nitrogen credit to the following crop (~30–45 lb N/acre)moderate
Corn following soybean needs less fertilizer nitrogen than continuous corn, and extension services in the region publish a credit of roughly 30–45 lb N/acre. The credit is not a net nitrogen gain: a soybean crop removes far more nitrogen in grain than it leaves behind.
Quantified:40 lb N/acre credit to following corn (state recommendations range 30–45)Applies when: corn grown the year after soybeanEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Nutrient cycling
- Low-C:N residue that releases rather than immobilizes soil nitrogenmoderate
Soybean stover and roots have a low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and break down quickly, so nitrogen becomes available to the next crop. Cereal residues do the opposite, tying up available soil nitrogen while they decompose.
Applies when: residue left on the field after harvestEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Pollinator support
- Mid-summer nectar resource for honey beesmoderate
Soybean does not need insects to set seed, but flowering fields are a genuine nectar source at a point in the summer when other forage is thin. Ohio State work found honey bees preferentially foraging soybean, with nectar volume — not flower colour or sugar concentration — driving visitation.
Applies when: during bloom (R1–R3); varies substantially by varietyEvidence: Peer-reviewed·Confidence: medium
Soil health
- Rotation-diversity yield effect on the following corn cropmoderate
A long-term Ohio trial running since 1962 finds continuous corn the lowest-yielding system tested, by up to 18 percent (about 28 bu/acre) against corn–soybean and corn–forage rotations. Soybean in the rotation is what makes that difference available to an Ohio grain farm.
Quantified:18 % corn yield penalty for continuous corn vs. rotation (up to)Applies when: corn–soybean rotation compared with continuous cornEvidence: Peer-reviewed·Confidence: medium
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: USDA NASS, USDA PLANTS Database, NC State Extension, Penn State Extension, Michigan State Extension.
Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
47 tracked changes across 9 data categories