• Harvest soybeans when 90-100% of the pods have turned brown and dry, but before they are brittle and shatter
• When soybeans are fully mature, their leaves will turn yellow then brown and fall to the ground
• Can be harvested between 100 and 150 days after planting
• Some soybean varieties will shatter when they are ready for harvesting, others will not
• Shattering will reduce grain quality and quantity if soybean is harvested late
• Harvest timely to maintain grain quality and avoid infestation by insects
• Harvest in the morning hours when temperatures are low to prevent shattering
• Do not harvest on a rainy day to avoid drying problems which can cause losses

• Cut the mature plants just above ground level
• Do not mix varieties when harvesting especially when heaping the crop
• Do not pull the plants up by the roots – the roots of soybeans have nodules of nitrogen fixing bacteria which may help establish a colony of these bacteria in your soil to aid future planting

Threshing

• Thresh manually or mechanically when the plants are properly dry and as soon as possible
• Manual s recommended for small-scale production
• Pile soybean plants on tarpaulin or putting dry soybean pods in sacks and beating them with a stick
• Beat gently to avoid destroying the seeds
• Winnow to separate soybean from debris

Grading

• Grade to remove discolored grain, diseased grain, cracked, insect-damaged, shriveled, and any debris/ foreign matters
• This attracts buyers and fetches better prices on the market

Storage

• At harvest, soybean moisture content is usually 14%
• Soybean should be stored at a moisture content of less than 10%
• A soybean seed is sufficiently dry when it cannot be dented with the teeth or fingernails – high moisture encourages deterioration