Earlier-maturing varieties have pushed the soybean frontier deep into North Dakota, and the crop now rivals wheat for acres across the eastern half of the state.
For most of the twentieth century, soybeans were a crop of the humid Midwest, ill-suited to North Dakota's short season and cool nights. Plant breeding changed that. Earlier-maturing varieties marched the bean steadily north and west, and today soybeans cover millions of plains acres and share the rotation with the wheat that once ruled alone.
The Bean That Followed the Breeders
The crop's rise has remade the eastern countryside. New handling systems at the elevators, shuttle-train loading facilities, and a steady stream of exports through the Pacific Northwest ports all trace back to the bean's arrival. Growers value its nitrogen-fixing roots, which leave the soil richer for the cereal that follows.
From the almanac's reckoning:
- Earlier-maturing varieties extended the soybean's range across the state.
- Soybean roots fix nitrogen, benefiting the wheat that follows in rotation.
- Most plains soybeans move to export through Pacific Northwest ports.
Yet the northern edge of bean country remains a gamble against the frost, and a cool, wet September can catch a late-planted field before the pods fill. The almanac reckons the soybean a newcomer that has earned its place, provided the grower respects the calendar.
Elsewhere in the Almanac
Reading the Sky: Drought, Irrigation and the Missouri's Water
In a state where most crops drink only what the clouds provide, the recurring specter of drought keeps every grower's eye on the rain gauge — and turns some toward the water of the Missouri.
Flax Returns: The Blue-Flowered Crop Finds New Favor
Prized for its oil and its omega-rich seed, flax has staged a quiet comeback across the plains, its brief blue bloom once again dotting the northern fields.
Passing the Land On: The Delicate Art of Farm Succession
As a generation of plains farmers reaches its later years, families across the state wrestle with the hardest harvest of all — handing the farm to the next hands, or letting it go.