Ohio FG1 and Ohio FG2 differ from grain-type type varieties of similar maturity by having lower yields but better quality for the specialized soyfood market. As a result, producers of the new foodgrade varieties should expect to receive a premium for their crop. Producers should secure a contract with a buyer of food-grade soybeans prior to producing the crop.
As the data in Tables 5 to 7 show, genetic differences are not the only factors that influence the quality of soybeans for soyfood production. The production environment is also important. Quality is undoubtedly influenced by many environmental factors that cannot be controlled by the producer, such as temperature and precipitation. There are specific practices, however, that producers should employ in order to obtain maximum quality, and therefore the best price.
Appearance of the grain is perhaps the most important criterion for determining marketability and price. The most important production practices are timely harvest and proper adjustment of combines and augers to avoid splits and excessive foreign matter. Timely harvest also reduces the effects of weathering of mature seed. Because the presence of weeds at harvest can stain seed, poor weed control can reduce grain quality as well.
Maintenance of varietal identity and purity is more important for food-grade varieties than for varieties intended for processing into oil and meal. In Ohio, production of food-grade soybeans can be arranged under a third-party identity-preserved quality control program to ensure varietal and physical purity.