Managing for Higher Yield – What Pays and What Doesn’t
Farmers make hundreds of decisions every year. Some of them are big and some are small. These decisions all affect the bottom line to differing degrees. Some of them have negligible fiscal repercussions, while some can mean the difference between profit and loss. In my recent Better Beans seminar, I discussed five decisions that farmers make when growing soybeans and their impact on profitability.
Diary of a Soybean – Entry 3
Hi there! Max, your favorite blogging bean is back with a final report on the 2021 growing season.
Use Your Toolbox to Control White Mold Infections
As the growing season progresses and we near harvest, Illinois soybean growers often see increased disease symptomology in their fields. They may wonder what can be done to combat diseases once symptoms appear, but with some pathogens the infection occurs many weeks prior to the onset of visible signs of disease. Once the infection is apparent, it is often too late for effective control. The best-known illustration of this is Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), but white mold is another example. Figure 1 shows very early symptoms of the disease appearing in the upper canopy. Although it may be too [...]
Have You Applied Your Soybean Fungicide Yet?
As regular visitors of ILSoyAdvisor are aware, fungicides are an important component of a high-yielding soybean system. Progressive growers have become increasingly aware of the value of fungicide application not only for disease control, but also for improved stress tolerance and plant health. Perhaps surprisingly, many of today’s most popular varieties with the most inherent yield potential also show the biggest responses to fungicide applications. In fact, varietal response to fungicides appears to be increasing. There are several potential reasons for this phenomenon. One is that modern varieties are often more robust in their growth habits, with more branching [...]
Diary of a Soybean – Entry 2
Hello again, it’s Max the soybean. If you remember, my siblings and I were planted on March 10 and had come through some pretty harsh conditions. Last time we spoke, there was some doubt as to whether or not we would survive the hard freeze we had just been through where the temperature dropped as low as 26°F over the previous couple of nights. As you can see in this picture, we were plenty cold and covered with ice crystals. The next few days were pretty dicey. None of us came through unscathed. For most of us, our cotyledons [...]
Four Simple Steps to Minimize Pollinator Impact When Spraying
Through my lifelong experiences in agriculture and as a beekeeper, I have sometimes observed conflict between my fellow apiarists and row-crop farmers. For legitimate reasons, beekeepers are very protective of their apiaries, and farmers need crop protection products to battle pests in their fields. These two goals can sometimes lead to conflict, with beekeepers worrying about the health of their colonies and farmers viewing managed beehives as an annoyance they are forced to consider when managing their crops. However, as in most conflicts, communication and education go a long way in helping row-crop farmers co-exist peaceably with their beekeeping [...]
PODCAST: Fungicide Treatments to Protect Soybean Yields
Jason Carr, CCA Soy Envoy and Bayer Crop Science technology development representative, joins the podcast to share the value fungicide treatments bring to soybean management programs to protect yields. We also discuss what makes a quality fungicide, current research and application timing and methods. ILSoyAdvisor Podcasts · Fungicide Treatments to Protect Soybean Yields
Diary of a Soybean
Hi there, my name is Max. Well, my full name is Glycine max, but almost nobody calls me that. You see, I am a soybean plant. You may not understand, but as a soybean plant it’s really hard to get people to notice you as an individual. People say we all look alike, which I guess I can sort of see when there may be over 11 million of us in an 80-acre field. At any rate, I’d like to tell you a little bit about the things that I’ve had to endure in my short life. I’m not [...]
Conducting Quality On-Farm Research
Digital ag platforms such as Climate FieldView have made it easy for farmers to conduct research on their own acreage. These tools allow growers to verify the results of industry and third-party testing and implement experiments to answer other questions they may have. This recent ILSoyAdvisor blog discusses some of the types of questions you may want to answer in your fields. While it is true that the best results are those gathered in the specific conditions of your own farm, there are a few considerations that should be followed when setting up an agronomy trial. If you took [...]
Four Questions About Early Planting Answered
If you have followed any of my work over the past few years, it will come as no surprise that I am an advocate of planting soybeans early. Ongoing research at Bayer Crop Science sites across the state of Illinois has provided valuable information on the benefits of early planting. Even so, I must admit that with a heavy frost in May and overall slow early development of the soybean crop, I was rather nervous about how the early planted beans would perform. As it turned out, my fears were unfounded. In this article, I will share some of [...]
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