PODCAST: Flying High with Aerial Imagery
Kris Ehler, sales agronomist with Ehler Brothers Co. in Thomoasboro, IL and 2018 CCA Soy Envoy, has recently had the opportunity to check out some AKER and IntelinAir aerial imagery products and is excited to share his feedback and experience with our listeners. Listen to the podcast here:
Making Early Applications in Soybeans
Post applications to promote soybean growth should be timed for optimal efficacy. As growers, we often look for the application timing that is convenient, or most cost effective, and can apply multiple products in a single pass. For many of the products on the market, there are recommended timings to optimize their efficacy. Soybeans will determine their number of branches between V2 and V3. Some growers have done a form of mechanical damage to influence branching at this stage. Rolling is the most common practice, but some have used a form of mowing to also induce branching. As with [...]
Seed Quality and Planting Populations in Soybeans
The two most discussed topics on the meeting circuit this winter were “Plant Your Soybeans Early” and “Lower Your Planting Population.” Both are great recommendations in a time when dollars are tight. Planting early is a management practice that doesn’t cost a grower anything and lowering your seeding population can save you money. More and more data is being collected and presented showing that soybeans can still reach the upper 90th percentile of yield potential with populations as low as 90,000 seeds per acre. For many growers lowering seeding rates is a gradual process. Lowering rates 5,000 – 6,000 [...]
Planting Date – Stay the Course
This spring, plant some soybeans early and wait for “perfect” soil conditions for corn. April continues to be cold and wet, straining last fall and winter’s planting intentions. For many growers, those plans were to include early planting of soybeans. The data shows that early planting continually shows returns, but now the calendar looks to push us to late April or even May for the first planting opportunities. So, what will that do to those well laid planting plans? Unfortunately, for many growers, it means resorting to their “corn-first” plan. I disagree with this approach, since going back to [...]
Tips for Successful Early Planting
All winter long growers have been bombarded with articles, meetings and retailers preaching the benefits of early soybean planting. For some growers this is their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th year of harvesting the benefits of early soybean planting, but for many growers this may be their first experience. To be successful and achieve the extra 8 – 10 bushels that have been advertised there a few things to consider. Planting soybeans earlier means dealing with cooler and possibly wetter soil conditions. This is a prime environment for fungal pathogens. A good seed treatment is recommended for a couple [...]
Understanding your “Seed real estate”
Seeds can’t hold an infinite amount of coatings so choose smartly based on need. If you’ve ever built a shed, you’ve likely spent countless hours figuring out how to make best use of the space. You want to be efficient and get the most bang for your buck with the available square footage. The same process applies to selecting seed treatments. Often overlooked in seed coatings is what I like to refer as the “seed real estate.” If you’re like most growers you plant treated seed, but do you know what is in those treatments? Are you optimizing what [...]
Early planting of soybeans and population
Planting soybeans early? Consider reducing the population to let the plant exploit this opportunity. 2016 allowed many growers in Illinois to plant soybeans earlier than they have in previous years. For some, it was their first time planting soybeans in April. The yield differences of April versus May planted beans have caught the attention of most growers and those without much early planting experience may be surprised by recommended seeding rates for April-planted beans. Planting in April often means cooler and possibly wetter soil conditions. These conditions are prime for soil-borne diseases such as Phytophthora. The typical thought process [...]
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