A new documentary will showcase the history, uses and evolution of soybeans.
“GroundBreaking: A Story of Innovation” will premiere on the A&E Network on Saturday, June 22 at 12:00 pm CST.
U.S. Soy said the American origin story of soybeans dates back nearly 150 years, and the plant has evolved into a resource used by farmers, chemists, historians, chefs and astrobiologists.
“Throughout my travels, I’ve witnessed the infinite opportunities that soybeans can create,” said Jeff Houghton, the documentary’s host. “I’ve been astonished to see the magnitude of where and how soy can show up in the world. Through this story, we uncovered how something so small could have such a huge impact on the planet, from global trade to the food we consume to the clothes that we wear to the cars we drive.”
GroundBreaking: A Story of Innovation, visits nine states and talks to 15 experts about the past, present and future soybeans can create. Those stops include:
- Skidway Island, Georgia, where the very first soybeans in America were brought over from China and planted by Samuel Bowen in the 1880s.
- The Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, where seeking a crop that could yield great industrial value to him, Henry Ford created a prototype soybean car in 1941 with all of the major exterior body panels made out of soy-based plastic.
- Farms in Arkansas and Indiana, where seed innovation enhances sustainability, reduces environmental impact and improves plant health and animal diets.
- A Mars simulation at the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, where the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation explores soy as a crop that could potentially be used for future Mars missions by planting and researching soy in simulated Martian soil.
- And additional visits to Kansas, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Michigan to explore how soy shows up at the KCBS World Invitational BBQ Contest, aquaculture farming at Auburn University, a Pittsburgh stains and coatings lab and the Detroit Grand Prix.
According to U.S. Soy, one acre of soybeans is enough protein and oil to produce animal feed for 800 pounds of boneless chicken (which could feed 10 people for a year), 50 gallons of renewable diesel fuel (enough for a semitruck to travel from NYC to Pittsburgh) and two years of an average person’s vegetable oil consumption.
