FUNDED BY THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION CHECKOFF PROGRAM.

Aaron Prins

Fungicide-Herbicide Compatibility

Fungicide applications can be viewed as a “free trip” for some herbicides, but make sure you are spraying on-label. If not, it could be costing you more than just bushels. As we are approaching the tail end of the growing season, many growers and ag retailers are wrapping up soybean fungicide applications this week. August is a make-or-break month for soybean growers across Illinois. And while there are areas affected with drought throughout the state, most of the soybean acres look fantastic. I am betting that we’ll see some of the biggest soybean yields coming out of the 2018 [...]

By |August 16, 2018|

Tips for planning and producing a 100-bushel crop.

If you have ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, you may be able to relate to the main character’s constant dilemma, which is being stuck in the same day, day-after- day. This is how my life, as well as all fellow agronomists and growers, can be feeling this time of year. However, with hard work and persistence comes great reward, which we will glean shortly in the rapidly approaching harvest season. This coming harvest season brings an extra degree of suspense. For me, I will be harvesting my first Illinois Soybean Yield Challenge contest field. Growing this field of [...]

By |June 23, 2018|

Identifying Troublesome Broadleaf Weeds in Soybeans

It’s been a fast and furious spring here in south-central Illinois. The first half of April was a wash and what seemed to be an endless pattern of heavy rains and cold weather. The sun finally came out to play. It didn’t take too many 20-hour days, and before I knew it, all the ammonia was on and 90 percent of the corn and soybeans were planted in about 12-days.  But as the dust settles, it still amazes me how quickly we can put in our crop. As we park the planters for the year, the sprayers will start [...]

By |May 17, 2018|

Inoculating Soybeans

Although the planters have not officially started rolling in Illinois, it is safe to say that soybeans will most likely win the battle for most acres in 2018. With this being the case, many acres across the state will be coming off a continuous corn rotation and either going back into a more traditional corn-soybean rotation or going to continuous soybeans. One important detail that will be overlooked this planting season is treating soybean seed with inoculant on these acres. Why do we inoculate soybeans? Soybeans require 4 – 6 pounds of nitrogen per bushel produced. That’s almost 3 [...]

By |April 10, 2018|

Growing Continuous Soybeans

In southern Illinois continuous soybean rotation has been in practice for some time. Due to the nature of our soil, soybeans have always been a better fit than corn. I have managed these acres for growers and have learned that if you can manage them carefully, beans-on-beans can be just as profitable as rotational beans. The three practices that are key to managing this rotation are weed control, soil fertility and seed selection. Weed control One of the biggest challenges we face in soybean production today is weed control. Over time Roundup® (glyphosate) has lost its effectiveness on one [...]

By |March 12, 2018|
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