Henry Ford Essay

Advertisement for the 1935 Ford, "We Paint Cars with Soy Beans"

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Starting in 1931, Henry Ford invested much money and research into soybeans. He viewed the crop as a bridge between agriculture and industry, and he used soybean oil and soybean-based plastics in Ford Motor Company vehicles. Ford built a concept car with a complete soybean-plastic body in 1941, but World War II halted further development.

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Ford Institutional Advertisement Announcing a New Soybean Plastic, 1941

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Henry Ford believed farmers would prosper if they could produce crops for industry. At a secret lab in Greenfield Village, Ford's scientists settled on soybeans as a crop that could be sold to industry. Automobile body panels were among many products developed in Ford's Soybean Lab. Ford attacked a trunk lid made from soybeans with an axe to demonstrate its strength.

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