5-25 NWR Why grow soybeans

5-25 NWR Why grow soybeans

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
The Oregon State University extension service rhetorically asks a question in a recent publication. It asks, why consider growing soybeans? we know that in the Northwest, soybeans are relatively new crop struggling to find local processors and a profitable market. I think we may have found an answer. The population of hogs and chickens in the United States is getting larger, and so is their need for high-quality feed. According to research, the number of hogs produced in the U.S. has increased nearly 25 percent since 2003, while broiler production has increased by more than 15 percent. More hogs and chickens mean more opportunities for soybean farmers, but only if they produce soybeans that yield high-quality soybean meal.

Voters have imposed a ban on commercial water bottling in turn killing a plan in which Nestle would have built a water-bottling plant in the job-scarce town of Cascade Locks in the scenic Columbia River Gorge.

The company's plan has drawn opposition from orchard owners, Native American tribes, some residents and others.

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