Global demand for soybeans has soared in recent decades, with
China leading the race. Nearly 60 percent of all soybeans
entering international trade today go to China, making it far
and away the world’s largest importer. The soybean was
domesticated some 3,000 years ago by farmers in eastern China.
But it wasn’t until well after World War II that the crop gained
agricultural prominence, enabling it to join wheat, rice, and
corn as one of the world’s four leading crops. This rise in the
demand for soybeans reflected the discovery by animal
nutritionists that combining 1 part soybean meal with 4 parts
grain, usually corn, in feed rations would sharply boost the
efficiency with which livestock and poultry converted grain into
animal protein. As China’s appetite for meat, milk, and eggs has
soared, so too has its use of soybean meal. And since nearly
half the world’s pigs are in China, the lion’s share of soy use
is in pig feed. Its fast-growing poultry industry is also
dependent on soybean meal. In addition, Chi