Are You Managing Soybeans After R4.5?
In the past 5 years, Illinois soybean yields have risen exponentially compared to the previous 10 – 15 years. A lot of this increase can be attributed to modern breeding programs; however, modern management has also improved. High-yield producers view a crop as a series of decisions, throughout different growth stages, that add up to improved yields. These growth stages usually include “early,” “middle,” “late” and now - R4.5. Early Season: Anything associated with improving emergence and early vigor. Seed treatments allow for early planting dates, while ensuring adequate stands. Tillage improves seed-to-soil contact and reduces early season root [...]
Planting Wheat in Your Double-Crop Rotation
In an issue of the Cool Bean Advisor newsletter, University of Wisconsin wheat and soybean specialist Shawn Conley shared his top winter wheat establishment recommendations. They include: Variety selection matters. Plant new seed (DO NOT plant saved seed). A fungicide seed treatment is recommended for winter wheat, especially for seed damaged by Fusarium head blight (FHB). Wheat should be planted 1 to 1.5 inches deep. The target seeding rate for wheat planted from September 15th to October 1st is 1,300,000 to 1,750,000 seeds per acre. The optimal seeding rate for wheat planted after October 1st should be incrementally increased [...]
Tips for Establishing A Successful Wheat Crop
Wheat, as a crop, has been scrutinized by growers across the U.S. and largely hasn’t measured up in productivity to that of other commodity crops in areas where other crops are an option and offer higher profitability potential – such as corn and soybeans. Yet there are wheat growers who can achieve yields and profitability that rival that of corn in their area. Productivity is an average measure of the efficiency of production, expressed as the ratio of output to inputs used in the production process, i.e., output per unit of input. Growers are constantly seeking to improve output [...]
Illinois Soybean Association Names Yield Challenge Coordinator
ISA Director of Ag Innovations & Tech Transfer Linda Kull, Ph.D., says Wells will represent the ISA checkoff program, focusing on producer and retailer relationships, outreach and program influence for the ISA Yield Challenge throughout the state. Wells will encourage on-farm trials using new and diversified management practices aimed at increasing yield and profit. “We are excited to have Bob as a trusted contractor working on behalf of Illinois soybean farmers,” says Kull. “The ISA Yield Challenge began in 2010 to promote adoption of better management practices and technologies that lead to higher yields and profitability. We believe participation [...]
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