FUNDED BY THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION CHECKOFF PROGRAM.

June 2019

Relay Cropping Soybeans

Many producers in Southern Illinois double-crop soybeans after wheat and this creates an additional opportunity for revenue for the farm. In addition, winter wheat acts as a cash cover crop and planting soybeans into wheat stubble adds living roots which supports biological activity in the soil when growers may otherwise let the field lie fallow. Producing double-crop soybeans is a challenge because you’re planting a crop outside its prime window when weather is drier and hotter. And there is always a risk that it won’t rain either at planting or later in the summer. This limits investment since there [...]

By |June 29, 2019|

Managing Micronutrients in Soybeans

There are 18 essential nutrients in plants: Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the most likely to be added as fertilizer. Water, carbon and oxygen come from air and water. Calcium, magnesium and sulfur are needed in large amounts as well, and in Illinois we generally take what we get from nature.  Sulfur now commonly needs to be added along with the big 3. We add calcium and magnesium when we lime, although in Southern Illinois we generally come up short on magnesium in our liming materials. And micronutrients are also essential, but needed in smaller amounts. Boron, iron, manganese, [...]

By |June 26, 2019|

Soybeans as a Cover Crop

Father’s Day was just over a week ago, and since we couldn’t be in the fields, I invited my dad to join us for supper to catch up on things from home. Talk inevitably turned to the crops and #plant19. My dad was born in the late summer of 1934. He has farmed all his life, by my estimation if we assume his first cropping season was when he was fifteen, he’s seen 69 crops. Dad looked me in the eye and said, “I’ve never seen a year like this.” That’s powerful. This season has been like nothing anyone [...]

By |June 24, 2019|

Risks For Soybeans Planted After Soybeans

Growers need to understand risks with continuous soybeans before addressing product placement. Remember the goal is to get an even stand with seedlings that emerge at nearly the same time and develop at the same rate (Figure 1). In the past, most sources say that there can be up to 5 to 15% yield loss attributed to soybeans planted after soybeans if compared to a corn after soybean rotation. However, research done by Emerson Nafziger, at the University of Illinois, and conducted in Western Illinois revealed that yield loss with continuous soybeans was not as high as expected. The [...]

By |June 18, 2019|

Soybean Cyst Nematode – A Consistent Threat

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is known to cause considerable yield loss in soybeans. Often that loss is accompanied by undetectable crop symptoms and options to control it seem increasingly limited. In an earlier blog SCN: The Soybean Nemesis, Dr. Nathan Kleczewski at the University of Illinois stated “You may not realize it, but soybean cyst nematode (SCN) remains the most important yield-robbing pathogen of soybeans in the United States. In 2015, over 109 million bushels of soybeans were estimated to have been lost because of this pesky roundworm. However, often these losses go unnoticed or are blamed on other [...]

By |June 18, 2019|

White Mold Risks in 2019

In a year with delayed planting and struggles to get the crop planted I thought about changing my topic from Sclerotinia stem rot (Soybean White Mold) to a different topic. But if we look at the early planted soybeans getting close to closing the rows and the possibilities of a wet summer, we need to manage the crop that is in the ground to maximize yield. Understanding White Mold: Soybean white mold (SWM) is a disease that infects soybeans at the flowers, and then moves to the pods and stems at the node. It gets its name from the [...]

By |June 15, 2019|

Cover crops for prevent planting

SPRINGFIELD, IL - June 6 - When the time comes to decide about the best way to manage acres in prevent plant, it may be a good time to test out some cover crop options. There are many reasons to consider cover crops on your prevent plant acres this year. It will be especially important to consider cover crops to retain any nitrogen that was applied in either the fall or early spring. Cover crops will reduce nutrient loss and help stabilize the soil structure. Weed control needs to be considered and NREC research has shown that cover crops [...]

By |June 13, 2019|

Additional Challenges of Late Planted Soybeans

With the wet conditions across much of our sales area, corn planting has been delayed significantly and the thought of planting soybeans has not been on many minds. Currently, Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin are all significantly behind on soybean planting progress, at least 20% from the 2014-2018 average. Because of this delay there will be significant hurdles the soybean crop will face. Weed Control: As many have observed, the weeds have not been as severely affected by the weather as cropping plans. With the wet conditions, much of the planned fieldwork remains to be completed along with preplant/burndown herbicide [...]

By |June 13, 2019|

Postemergence Herbicide Recommendations in Soybeans

Getting your crops planted this year was likely the biggest challenge you’ve faced thus far. The second biggest challenge may be how to maintain good weed control, especially when it comes to waterhemp. Waterhemp has been the most troublesome weed for soybean farmers for the last 10 years. Since that time, no new postemergence (POST) herbicide modes-of-action (MOA) have been developed. We have, however, seen the development of new soybeans with herbicide-resistant traits. Although these new soybeans have made controlling waterhemp easier it’s important to know how to utilize them properly for good weed management. Glufosinate. Glufosinate is a [...]

By |June 12, 2019|
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