In the 1940s, the first decade of “Soybean Digest” magazine, soybean acres expanded dramatically, leaving behind its image as a small forage crop. USDA publicity in the 1930s helped increase familiarity of the soybean, yet most were grown to be consumed by cattle (in the field or as hay/silage) in the early days. However, the combination of thousands of new varieties from the Far East, along with the launch of the combine harvester and growing demand for meal and oil, all helped set the table for soybean grain acres to explode.

To commemorate the 75th birthday of Corn+Soybean Digest, the editorial staff has paged through some dusty, old bound magazine volumes to give you a glimpse of what farmers were dealing with during each decade. Here is the first installment of interesting stories from November 1940 to October 1941.