The U.S. soybean harvest season begins in September.

Generally, soybean harvesting time is from early September to early October. Soybeans can be harvested when their stems and leaves begin to turn yellow, and when the seedlings and pods are dry and dark brown. It is generally best to harvest in the morning when there is dew. After cutting, it should be handled gently to avoid losing the seeds. The cut soybeans should be transported back for threshing in a timely manner, removed and dried in the sun before being stored in warehouses.

The requirements for soybean harvest time are very strict. If you harvest too early, the kernels will not be fully mature, and the 100-kernel weight, protein and oil content will be low. If you harvest too late, the kernels will lose too much water, which will cause a lot of frying. Pods drop. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately grasp the timing of soybean harvest.

Different harvesting methods lead to different suitable harvesting periods. The best period for direct harvesting is in the early stages of maturity. At this stage, all soybean leaves have fallen off, and the stems, pods and seeds all show the original color. The moisture content of the seeds has dropped to about 20%-25%, and the plants will make a crisp sound when shaken by hand.

If the segmented harvesting method is adopted, the harvesting period must be advanced appropriately. It is generally believed that the yellow ripening period is the best harvesting period. During this period, 70%-80% of the soybean leaves fall off, the beans begin to turn yellow, a small number of pods turn into their original color, and some still appear cyan, which is the best period for cutting and drying.

Extended information:

In 2017, China imported 95.53 million tons of soybeans, with an import value of US$39.6 billion. Among them, 32.86 million tons of soybeans were imported from the United States, with an import value of US$12.36 billion, accounting for 34.4% of the total import volume.

However, after the Sino-US trade conflict broke out in March 2018, especially after the decision to impose a 25% import (tariff) tax on US soybeans, the cost of US soybean imports increased significantly, and the quantity of US soybeans imported significantly decreased.

From January to August 2018, the United States exported 7.78 million tons of soybeans to China, a decrease of 3.61 million tons, or 31.7%, from 11.39 million tons in the same period last year.

Affected by this, between April and August 2018, the price of soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) in the United States has fallen by nearly 20%.

China’s demand for soybeans has been increasing in recent years. In order to seize the Chinese soybean market, American farmers have increased soybean planting area. According to reports, the soybean area in the United States this year reached 36.24 million hectares, the second highest level in history. It is also the first time in 40 years that the soybean area has exceeded corn.

The first batch of soybeans planted in 2018 has matured, coinciding with the soybean harvest season in the United States. However, China’s demand for U.S. soybean imports continues to decline. While demand is declining, the world’s soybean supply may increase.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that in 2018-2019, the U.S. soybean production will be 117.3 million tons and the Brazilian soybean production will be 120.5 million tons. Due to good growing conditions, soybean production forecast data may be raised later.

Currently, the soybean market is oversupplied, and if U.S. soybeans find no other market, soybean prices will continue to fall.

Reference material: Baidu Encyclopedia - Soybeans

Reference material: Ifeng.com - Information makes matters worse! The U.S. soybean harvest season begins in September, and U.S. farmers are crying