After a frenzy of soybean coloring issues this harvest season due to traits in Enlist soybeans, the USDA is revisiting soybean grading factors, including coloring requirements. Factors could be amended if proposed changes to U.S. Standards for Soybeans are amended.

The review could lead to eliminating soybeans of other colors (SBOC) as a grading factor for determining quality. USDA has not announced a publication date for the proposal or a due date for public comments. While soybean coloring is typically a non-issue, SBOC levels have increased in the past two years.

October showed 7.81% of graded soybeans in 2021, and 22.06% in 2022 had SBOV above the No. 1 threshold. For comparison, this number is historically less than 1.22%.

Read more on soybean color standards and USDA’s review and potential amendment here.