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Soybean Laboratory in Greenfield Village, April 29, 1931

THF236449 / Soybean Laboratory in Greenfield Village, April 29, 1931
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Artifact Overview

Henry Ford believed that industry and agriculture should complement one another. In the 1930s, he pursued soybeans as a crop that might unite the two. Ford built a soybean laboratory in Greenfield Village. Experiments there led to the use of some soy-based oils and plastics in Ford Motor Company vehicles.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

29 April 1931

Subject Date

29 April 1931

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

EI.1929.467

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.000 in
Width: 10.000 in

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    Soybean Lab Agricultural Gallery

    Constructed in Greenfield Village, this building was an experimental soybean research laboratory during the 1930s. Henry Ford was looking for ways that farmers could use crops for industrial purposes, especially in the manufacture of car parts. Special equipment was designed here to process soybeans into oil and meal. Today, this building houses agricultural implements from the museum's collections.