"One of our biggest facilitation successes
was helping conventional cotton growers transition
to organic edible soybeans with $12 M sales in 1999."
-Missouri Extension facilitator,
Only certain varieties of edible soybeans have ready markets. The two major types are Natto and tofu. Natto beans are tiny and used for a fermented bean curd that all Japanese school children are forced to eat. The marketable tofu types are huge and have high protein content with bigger seed size. The notable difference between tofu and feed beans is white-eye vs. black-eye. The white-eye is imperative due to the white color of tofu. Black-eyed beans discolor the end product of tofu but do not change the food value. These varieties are comparable in yields to currently grown varieties that are grown for animal feed.
Curious to note, black-eyed soybeans are not as high in protein as white-eyed soybeans. In order to be qualified for food grade edible 44% protein must be attained. The bean can be rejected from the program if size specs are not met. To sort harvested beans, they are run over a specific sized screen those beans falling through are only used for animal feed grade as per industry standard. In contrast, for natto beans, only the beans falling through an even smaller screen are marketable as edible beans. The producer is paid a premium for the crop only if quality standards are met.
Various programs around the country pay from .50-$2.00 per bushel premium over feed grain price at area mills. The natto beans contracted by Hartz in Stuttgart, AR area pay a $2 premium. Some tofu beans only reach the 50 cent premium.
Great Univ Vermont intro to soybeans
Fort Valley State edible soybean research
Contact us is you want to explore edible beans further.
