Soybeans are one of the biggest and most versatile crops produced in Iowa with the Iowa Soybean Association reporting yearly yields close to 550 million bushels, exceeding values of $4.5 billion. Such a huge crop deserves to be acknowledged which is why Governor Kim Reynolds declared August Soybean month last year.

The Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State is honoring Soybean Month by holding their first ever SoyFest. SoyFest is a two-day event kicking off on Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday, celebrating soy all throughout. The celebration will focus on the variety of  products used in food as well as innovative uses of soy in an array of diverse products. 

On Tuesday, Soy Fest will kick off with Meals from the Heartland. Students and faculty will volunteer to help package 20,000 meals, all made up of soy products. Meals from the Heartland then ships the packaged food internationally to alleviate hunger in less fortunate places. The kickoff will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center.

On Wednesday, SoyFest will continue with a free cookout containing soy related snacks and foods. The celebration will also include soy related demonstrations given by Lie Tang, professor in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Danny Singh professor in Agronomy, giveaways, carnival games and a slew of other activities.

Students and community members are encouraged to attend and get their fill of free soy. Wednesday’s soy celebration goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. near the Parks Library.

Overall, SoyFest will help to feed hungry bellies around the world through the Meals from the Heartland organization. The celebration will also fill bellies on campus while educating students of the importance of Soybeans in all sorts of commercial uses.