SOY BEAN TRIALS

by Bethany M. Dunbar, courtesy of the Chronicle

HARDWICK — The search for the ideal soy bean for northern Vermont continues. Two varieties of beans stood out from nine grown during trials by High Mowing Farm in Wolcott this summer. Andrew Meyer of Vermont Soy said Tuesday the Vinton 81 and Delta varieties matured the quickest with good yield. He said Vermont Soy has yet to determine the best tasting varieties. “Of course we had a very wet spring,” Mr. Meyer said. “So the growing season wasn’t ideal.” Still the beans grew and some thrived. Vermont Soy has yet to start producing soy drinks but the owners hope to start producing chocolate, vanilla, and plain soy beverages within a month.

Vermont Soy will make a fresh product rather than ultrapasteurized. That means the drink will have a shorter shelf life but Mr. Meyer hopes it will taste better that way. “We are getting close to it. We are finalizing infrastucture,” he said. “We’ve invested in a line of equipment that will make the line more efficient.” Mr. Meyer said there is considerable interest among area farmers in growing soy beans, both for Vernont Soy and other markets. At a forum in Hardwick in the spring, farmers and others heard that soybeans can bring between $450 and $1,000 an acre. Vermont Soy is one market, but others at the forum, including Les Morrison of Barnet, said the market for soybeans as feed for organic dairy cattle is huge. Mr. Morrison runs a feed mill and buys the beans for feed, and he said he could pay a premium for Vermont beans.