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Researchers Work to Find New Uses for Soybeans. OH Really?

A farm machine loads a harvest of soybeans into a trailer.
UNITED SOYBEAN BOARD
A farm machine loads a harvest of soybeans into a trailer.

A changing trade deal with China has put a strain on Ohio agriculture, but farmers are experimenting with new uses for soybeans to reduce the reliance on Chinese buyers. And a WKSU listener asked us where consumers can find products made with soy. This edition of  explores where those soybeans go.

For consumers, it鈥檚 not always apparent where soybeans go since they鈥檙e not the most common item at grocery stores, but they end up in more products than you might expect.

Dave Dotterer is a Wayne County farmer and member of the .

鈥淥ur goal is to just keep striving to come up with new products. So, the soybean is quite a product. You know, there鈥檚 printer inks made with it,鈥 he said.

Soybean oil is mainly used in cooking oils, and farmers are starting to grow a healthier high-oleic soy with benefits similar to olive oil.

Research groups in the have also found other uses for soybean oil from to a petroleum substitute used in asphalt and tires.

The executive director of the Ohio Soybean Council, Kirk Merritt, said a lot of research is done in its  at Ohio Wesleyan University.

鈥淲e鈥檒l work with companies and help them develop new soy-based applications and new soy-based products faster and more cost effectively than they might be able to do on their own,鈥 Merritt said.

Companies are currently working on a liner for canned goods that extends shelf life and quality.

Do you have a question for OH Really? We'd love to hear from you! Submit your question below. 

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Copyright 2021 WKSU. To see more, visit .

Researchers Work to Find New Uses for Soybeans. OH Really?

Nathan joined WKSU as an intern in May 2019. Nathan is a broadcast journalism student at Kent State. He鈥檚 previously been a correspondent for TV2 as well as a crew member of Teleproductions. His interests include entertainment and culture.