FoA 370: [History of Agriculture] William J Morse, the Father of the US Soybean Industry

<p><a href="https://www.unitedsoybean.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Soy Checkoff</a>: https://www.unitedsoybean.org/</p><p><a href="https://www.soyinfocenter.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Soy Info Center</a>: https://www.soyinfocenter.com/</p><p>Studying the past is one of the most important activities for not only gaining perspective on the current state of the industry, but also to zoom out and get a better vantage point on where things may go from here, and what factors may drive it in that direction. That’s why, perhaps ironically, studying the history of agriculture is essential for a podcast that claims to be about the future of agriculture. Plus, I think most of you are just a little bit nerdy about agriculture like I am and enjoy knowing more about its history.</p><p>One of the things that has held me back from ever trying one of these episodes is that I worried it could very easily become a boring lecture of random facts and names and dates that didn’t really provide the real context I was hoping to provide. So I wondered, “what is the FoA approach to learning more about the history of agriculture?” And I came up with this: I’ll focus on a specific person who I wish I could go back to that time and interview. Then hopefully that individual’s story can provide insights and context into the time in a relatable way, and allow us to connect those experiences to our current situations.&nbsp;</p><p>Keep in mind that this is an experiment, so if you like it or if you don’t like it, I’d sure like to know either way. I think you know where to find me by now, but <a href="mailto:tim@aggrad.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tim@aggrad.com</a> is probably the easiest to remember.&nbsp;</p><p>All right, let’s get into it. Today’s guest that I wish I could interview if he were still alive today is William J Morse, considered by many to be the father of the U.S. soybean industry. When William graduated from Cornell with a bachelor’s of science in agriculture in 1907 he s