Soybeans in Farmstead World — crop in the game, and what it is on a real farm.
Soybeans are a legume whose roots work with soil bacteria to draw nitrogen out of the air and put it back into the ground.
That habit makes them the classic partner for corn in a rotation, and their protein-rich seed is crushed into meal for feed and oil for cooking and fuel.
Farm facts about soybeans
Soybeans were domesticated from a wild vine, Glycine soja, in north-central China between 6,000 and 9,000 years ago. (en.wikipedia.org)
The word 'soy' comes from the Japanese word for soy sauce, shōyu — so the bean is named after its own sauce. (en.wikipedia.org)
Before its famous fermented foods, soy was considered sacred for its beneficial effects in crop rotation. (en.wikipedia.org)
Dry soybeans are about 36% protein and 20% oil by weight, and that protein is 'complete' — it has every essential amino acid humans need. (en.wikipedia.org)
About three-quarters of the global soybean harvest feeds livestock rather than people. (en.wikipedia.org)
Soybean pods are hairy, 3–8 cm long, and hold two to four seeds that can be black, brown, green, or yellow. (en.wikipedia.org)