ILSoyAdvisor Blog

As we approach harvest you’re likely already thinking about how to increase your bottom line in 2018. I’d like to share some insight on an often-overlooked investment—soybean seed treatments. With low commodity prices, I don’t blame you for giving in to the temptation of going with an inexpensive soybean seed treatment. They’re often all colored red, so what’s the real difference?

While seed treatments may look the same on the surface...

Successful double crop soybean programs start with selecting the right wheat genetics.

Double cropping soybeans after wheat is a common rotation in Southern Illinois. Growers have the opportunity to maximize yield on both crops by paying attention to variety characteristics, planting date and endeavoring to plant both crops earlier.

Maturity matters: The ideal double crop wheat / soybean rotation starts with a...

Soybeans require nitrogen and lots of it because it’s a protein crop, and proteins contain 16% nitrogen. For decades we have relied on the soybean plant’s ability as a legume to fix its own nitrogen. And it can fix much of its own nitrogen, with the rest supplied by the soil. But as soybean yields ratchet up towards the 70- to 80-bushel range in whole fields, nitrogen will become increasingly limiting.

The challenge to making a...

Double-crop soybeans set some new yield records in 2016, with yields comparable to full-season soybeans. Yields in 2017 are closer to normal, but better than expected.

The challenge with any late-planted crop is basically the same as with any early planted crop—weather. However, we tend to believe that crops planted earlier can escape the effects of hot and dry weather because they produce flowers and seed before the harsh summer...