English: Varieties of soybeans ( Glycine max ). Soybeans are practically as much a part of American life as baseball. They're grown today in more than half the United States. Yet, a hundred years ago, they were virtually unheard of-raised only by a handful of innovative farmers. These seeds, from the National Soybean Germplasm Collection housed at Urbana, Illinois, show a wide range of colors, sizes, and shapes.