Soybean Planting 101
May 13, 2020
Ethan Crow is a soybean and corn farmer in Marshall County. He is part of a multigenerational farming operation, and his family has been farming since 1920.
In this windy virtual farm tour, Ethan takes you to a soybean field to see how a planter cuts through the soil to carefully drop soybean seeds into rich topsoil. He’ll explain why soybean seeds are sometimes pink and why you may see last year’s corn stalks and green growth across farm fields all year long.
Soybeans that are grown in Iowa are crushed into meal and oil. The meal is used as a protein source in livestock feed – pigs, poultry, dairy or aquaculture – and the oil has a variety of applications, including frying oil (commonly labeled as vegetable oil), biodiesel or a base for paints or plastics.
About the Virtual Learning Series
Tune into the Iowa Food & Family Project’s new learning series to be virtually transported across the state for behind-the-scenes farm and restaurant tours, mealtime tips, cooking demonstrations and family-friendly activity ideas.
We’re sharing a new video every Thursday at noon CDT throughout April and May. You can access the videos on our Facebook, Instagram or YouTube channels.
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