Although the U.S.A. and Brazil account today for most of the soybean production of the world (see Table 1-1), the introduction of this crop to Western agriculture is quite recent. Soybeans are, primarily, an industrial crop, cultivated for oil and protein. Despite the relatively low oil content of the seed (about 20% on moisture-free basis), soybeans are the largest single source of edible oil and account for roughly 50% of the total oilseed production of the world.