Soybean harvest is just barely getting started in Iowa, and heavy rains across the state have put much of that early progress on hold. Once combines can get back into the fields, however, soybean growers can learn more about the quality of this year’s crop while contributing information that could help market U.S. soybeans around the world.
The United Soybean Board is encouraging farmers to participate in a nationwide soybean quality study being conducted through the University of Minnesota. Farmers can submit samples from their crop to be evaluated for protein and oil content and see how their soybeans compare with U.S. averages.
United Soybean Board member Brent Rendel discussed the study during the 2026 Farm Progress Show in Boone.
Rendel said the individual results are useful to participating farmers, but the larger collection of samples serves another purpose. By gathering information from farms across the country, the soybean industry can build a broader picture of the quality of the U.S. crop and use that data when talking with international customers.
Farmers attending the Farm Progress Show were able to pick up sampling packets directly from the United Soybean Board booth. While the show has since ended, growers can still request a packet online and have it mailed to them. The packet is prepaid, including return shipping, allowing farmers to collect a soybean sample, seal it, and send it in for evaluation.
The quality information is particularly important as U.S. soybeans compete with supplies from other soybean-producing countries. Rendel said U.S. producers view their soybeans as a premium product, but maintaining that position means being able to demonstrate the quality behind it.
For Iowa farmers, the timing of the study lines up with the beginning of soybean harvest. Recent heavy rains have slowed the limited amount of harvest activity that had started, giving growers who want to participate some additional time to request their sampling materials before combines begin moving in earnest.
Rendel encouraged farmers to have the packet ready before heading into the field rather than waiting until harvest is nearly finished.
Once harvest gets moving, the samples will give participating farmers a closer look at the protein and oil content coming out of their own fields. Collectively, those samples will also add to the nationwide dataset being used to document U.S. soybean quality.
For the United Soybean Board, that means information collected from individual farms can ultimately become part of the industry’s larger effort to demonstrate the value of U.S. soybeans and compete for customers in markets around the world.
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