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September 2018

Dust – A Soy-Based Talc, Graphite Replacement

If you plant corn or soybeans you are either adding talc, graphite or Fluency Agent Advanced from Bayer Crop Science, as a lubricant. Talc is dusty, white, chalk-like material that poses a health risk if inhaled and graphite is a dusty, black, soot-like material—both are routinely available from your equipment dealers. Fluency Agent Advanced is also a seed lubricant that improves planter performance while reducing the amount of dust potentially released during planting. It is an alternative to talc, graphite and talc/graphite-blended seed lubricants. Each product reduces static friction between individual seeds and materials they touch, improving flow and [...]

By |September 30, 2018|

Enlist E3 Soybeans Await Chinese Approval

This article was originally published July 24, 2018, in Successful Farming. The Enlist™ weed-control system that features tolerance to 2,4-D choline is a go for cotton. Ditto for corn. Soybeans? Well, all is a go for a widespread commercial U.S. launch except for a familiar sticking point that caused the system that includes tolerance to 2,4-D not to widely commercially debut in 2018. “We continue to seek import approval from China,” says Shawna Hubbard, product marketing manager with Corteva AgriScience™, agriculture division of DowDuPont. Once approved, it’s a go. In the meantime, Corteva AgriScience is concentrating on stewardship of [...]

By |September 22, 2018|

Navigating the New Herbicide Market

The 2019 season will provide soybean growers with some recently approved trait options as well as the potential for amendments to their current system. This topic has been a hot button at many meetings, coffee shops and roadside conversations. One thing is for sure, having options moving forward to combat weed resistance is a good thing. We already have the dicamba-tolerant Xtend® trait. The dicamba technology is a tool enabling growers to combat resistant weeds. However, the volatility of the product created headaches in 2016 and 2017. Up for review are the labels for the three Xtend dicamba chemistries. [...]

By |September 20, 2018|

Technology Update – Enlist Weed Control System

With herbicide-resistant weeds becoming an increasingly challenging problem each year, effective weed control options are a must-have for farmers. The Enlist™ system, commercially available in corn and cotton, is an effective weed control tool. Though Enlist E3™ soybeans aren’t yet available for commercial purchase, seed production continues in multiple locations, expanding genetic lines in a broad range of maturities to prepare for the full commercial launch in the future. The Enlist E3 trait offers tolerance to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate, giving farmers flexibility with their weed control choices. What do I like best about the Enlist system? The [...]

By |September 15, 2018|

Sampling SCN Population in the Fall

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is considered the No. 1 pest threat to soybeans and robs more bushels than any other threat. And unfortunately, many of those bushels are lost without ever seeing any above ground symptoms. The challenges are that 1.) SCN can probably be found in every soybean-producing county in Illinois and across the Corn Belt and 2.) traditional practices of rotating soybeans regularly with corn and planting resistant varieties isn’t as effective in keep egg counts low. Knowing where SCN egg counts are high and how high they are is the key to effective control. That is [...]

By |September 10, 2018|

PODCAST: Planning for Success – Fall Cover Crops

Kris Reynolds, Midwest District Director with American Farmland Trust and 2018 CCA Soy Envoy, shares his insight on planting cover crops in the fall, species to consider, timing, planting windows across the state and a plan for the spring. Listen to the podcast here:

By |September 10, 2018|

Got Hungry Soybeans?

With all the talk about how big soybean yields are getting, agronomists and growers still may wonder if those high yields could be masking hidden nutrient deficiencies that might result in leaving some additional potential out in the field. I spent this season exploring that question and was able to produce results and draw conclusions that I hope to replicate in fields next year. In my opinion, feeding soybeans begins at planting. I have seen some success in using a plant growth regulator (PGR) or biostimulant/fulvic acid product applied during the preplant herbicide application. I saw an increase in [...]

By |September 9, 2018|

Fall Cover Crop Planting Timing

Timing of cover crop planting is essential for achieving your goals and getting the most biological and economical value out of the cover crop species you have selected to meet them. That is equally true when we talk about planting cover crops in the fall ahead of corn or soybeans. Each cover crop species can provide its own unique benefits to both the following crop as well as the soil. For us to realize the benefits of cover crops they must be properly managed and good management starts with the appropriate seeding date. If we expect payback from our [...]

By |September 7, 2018|

Green is for Go – Except for Soybean Stems

As harvest approaches, it’s time once again to discuss green stems in soybeans. Green Stem Syndrome (GSS) has been with us for quite some time. Some years more severely than others, but most years someone must deal with soybean stems remaining green after the beans (and pods) are mature and dry. In 2017, I wrote a blog post on practices for harvesting soybeans as close to the optimum moisture as possible to avoid sacrificing yield and profitability. While reading up on GSS, it became apparent that trying to wait out the green stems can cause as much as a [...]

By |September 6, 2018|
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