I am pleased to have this opportunity to post an editorial on ISA’s ILSoyAdvisor management website. Soybeans are a unique crop whose end product is the production of high levels of protein and oil. When a crusher buys your soybeans, he is less interested in your production level than in how many lbs. of oil and protein he can extract from a bushel. While yields have increased over the last few decades, general protein levels have gone the other way. Much of the yield potential of new soybean varieties is rarely achieved in the field on a commercial basis without [...]

As an aerial applicator I get a lot of questions on applying products on corn and soybeans and applying nitrogen has been a popular one. So it is an honor to be asked to provide this guest editorial to the Illinois Soybean Advisor. There is an ongoing challenge to build yield, protein and quality in our soybean production practices. In most of my company’s existence many of our activities have been in crop protection. While there are obvious pest challenges that need to be addressed each year, they tend to be more defensive in nature. Over the last five [...]