Three Considerations When Evaluating Early Stands
The U. S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) released its latest Crop Progress and Conditions report on May 3, 2021, reporting that soybean planting progress in Illinois is ahead of its five-year average. This doesn’t come as much surprise since many progressive producers have been planting more soybeans earlier than the previous 10 years. With so many soybean fields planted, it’s important to get out and evaluate fields on quality of stand, but to also better understand how a soybean plant grows and develops. Soybean and corn plants are smart, in the fact that when [...]
Do Soybeans Need Sulfur?
In the past five years, it seems like conversations regarding sulfur have increased. And as a result, many farmers are starting to incorporate a sulfur application into their corn fertility program with strong results. Since then, the conversation has moved from corn to soybeans. Do soybeans need sulfur? Simply put, yes. Sulfur is an essential nutrient that is required by all plants - including soybeans. The question is whether or not sulfur is a limiting nutrient for your high yield journey. Since sulfur is immobile in the plant, deficiency will show up in the upper canopy and typically have [...]
Establishing 2021 Agronomy Trials
In modern production agriculture, research and trials have expanded beyond small strip trials and universities. Many producers are developing their own sophisticated, on-farm research.
Understanding Crop Insurance and Grain Marketing
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation is a risk management tool used to mitigate financial losses to U.S. farmers. In 1996, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) was established to administer the Federal Crop Insurance Program. RMA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that establishes policy and loss adjustment procedures. Private insurance companies deliver and service individual Federal Crop Insurance policies. Crop insurance can be a great investment to protect downward trends in the market along with low yield performance. Producers often say, “I spent X dollars on crop insurance premiums in the past and I haven’t ‘made’ [...]
Risks and Rewards of Planting Soybean Early
Farming is a business that is built on supply, demand, biology, and the environment. It is the greater understanding of these factors that influence decisions and profitability of a given farming operation. In many situations, farmers must weigh the risks and rewards before a decision can be made. In recent years, more producers have been planting soybeans earlier and before their corn crop. A corn plant is much more sensitive to early planting stresses that can impact the seed viability, development of the root system, and the overall survival of the seedling plant. Because of its sensitivity to these [...]
Do Not Lead with the Big Guns
Weed management is more than just selecting a post applied herbicide trait in your soybeans and waiting to spray when weeds emerge. Over the last 10 to 15 years, it seems like many producers aren’t sure if they will have a weed pressure problem and so are reluctant to get aggressive with a foundation effective herbicide. Instead, it’s become more of wait and see, then react with post herbicide. We apply nitrogen every year ahead of corn because we know a corn crop will need nitrogen. In fact, many producers have implemented strategies to maximize season-long supply by splitting [...]
What to do while we wait for the Elusive ‘Silver Bullet,’ Recap of Summit Breakout
During the Soybean Summit session on February 24, I had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Bernards with the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture and his presentation of “What to do while we wait for the Elusive ‘Silver Bullet.’” If you were unable to attend this event, I would like to provide some insight on the topic. I hope after reading this blog you will be energized to follow the link to watch the full presentation: What to Do While We Wait for the Elusive “Silver Bullet” - YouTube Over time, there have been several major concepts or [...]
Insect Management: What did we learn in 2020, Recap of Summit Breakout
During the second session of Soybean Summit on February 17, I had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Nick Seiter, who presented “Insect Management: What did we learn in 2020?” If you were unable to attend this session, I would like to provide some insight on the topic. I hope after reading this blog you will be motivated to watch the full presentation here: Insect Management: What Did We Learn in 2020? - YouTube Dectes Stem Borer This insect has caught the eye of several farmers and agronomists, specifically in Southern Illinois. Adults: Adults do not cause active damage [...]
Understanding Seedling Diseases & Seed Treatments, Recap of Summit Breakout
During the first session of the 2021 Soybean Summit on February 10, I had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Kleczewski’s presentation, “Seedling Disease and Seed Treatment-What’s the deal?” If you were unable to attend this session, I would like to provide some insight on the topic. I hope after reading this blog you will be energized to follow this link and watch the full presentation: Seedling Diseases and Seed Treatments – What’s the Deal? - YouTube How do seedling disease impact a crop? Seedling diseases are soil borne and will infect a soybean after planting through emergence. Infection [...]
Seven Thoughts to R5
Once a soybean seed is placed into the soil, it is Mother Nature’s job to provide an opportunistic mouth to feed on it. Whether it is a bean leaf beetle feeding on the cotyledons or seedling disease such as Fusarium reducing the stand, let’s face it - Mother Nature does not care about cash rent rates or grain market values. That means it’s up to us to better understand how a soybean plant works and what the major items are that need strong consideration. 1. The seed that is in the soil needs good seed-to-soil contact to evenly imbibe [...]
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