Soybean Production Up 70 Percent From Last Year

By: Eames Yates - Email

Updated: Thu 5:07 PM, Sep 13, 2012

Lanier County, GA - September 12, 2012

Soybean production in Georgia is up 70% from around the same time last year. That's according to the Department of Agriculture.
Soy is still one of the minor planted crops in Georgia behind food like corn and peanuts, but it's still significant.

Elvin Andrews, the Lanier County Extension Coordinator, said "I expect theres two hundred thousand to a quarter of a million acres of soybeans planted in the state."

So why the increase? Farmers want to cash in. Andrews went on to say "this year with soybeans at $17 dollars a bushel, which is probably twice as high as they've been known to be in the past."

A bushel means 60 pounds of soybeans. They're usually planted around May or June depending on weather. Once harvested the benefits go further than just profit.

Gracie Douglas owns Whisk Organic Market. She said the beans are
"high in magnesium, calcium, potassium. High levels, so that's a good thing and we need that every day in our diet."

The heatwaves throughout the country have also given Georgia's soybean industry a big boost.

Andrews said "if you have a drought or floods or that in the midwest, normally our commodity prices are high and that's true this year."

Despite the recent tropical storms, Georgia has had relatively good weather for growing in the last few months. Soybeans are usually harvested towards the end of October.

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