December 30th, 2011 
bigmoney 
With perhaps the exceptions of resident vegetarians and commodities traders, soybeans don’t have much allure for the general population. However, this bean is one of the most profitable trades commodities around, and it is also low risk.The Chinese people first cultivated soybeans thousands of years ago. They continue to be grown there today. They were first introduced to America in the 1800s; their load was used to stabilize clipper ships. Now, their use as a food source continues to grow as technology advances and new uses are discovered.During World War II, the US became one of the world’s largest suppliers when Chinese crops were damaged. Today, 31 states in the United States grow soybeans. Illinois alone produces over 500 million bushels, with Iowa coming in close behind at 400 million.Now, Brazil is jumping into the fray as a producer as well. Although it has suffered drought and this has impacted its production over the last two years, crop yields are now recovering. They should reach record levels in 2007. Although coffee and sugar are among Brazil’s major exports, soybeans are fast catching up. In 2004-2005, over 20,000
