A series of articles focused on managing the double-crop rotation are coming this season.

In southern Illinois, along I-64 and I-70, double-cropping soybeans after wheat is a common rotation, as the combination of the two crops harvested in one year often produces more net revenue than corn, soybeans or wheat alone.

A successful double-crop rotation with both crops producing high yields requires above average management. And for soybeans, growers need to invest in their crop, not just plant the cheapest soybean seed they can buy and then keep weeds at bay. Management does pay.

The Illinois Soybean Association has been engaged in a double-crop soybean initiative since 2013, partnering with the Illinois Wheat Association (IWA) and seed companies to improve the yield and profitability of soybeans in the rotation. That initiative includes some research on best practices, communications, education and demonstration plots at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois.

For the past several years, agronomist Kelly Robertson from Benton, Illinois, has contributed content focused on double-crop management. This year we’ve reached out to a host of experts to contribute double-crop blog content.

The schedule of topics is as follows:

• April: Wrapping up the wheat crop with a strong finish – John Pike, Pike Ag, LLC.
• April: Managing Scab in Wheat – Nathan Kleczewski, plant pathologist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
• May: Adopting the Early Wheat System – Dan Davidson, agronomist and technical advisor, ISA
• June: Tips for successful double-crop soybean establishment – Kelly Robertson, CPAg, CCA, 4R-NMS
• July: Tips for managing double-crop soybeans – Terry Wyciskalla, Wyciskalla Consulting, LLC
• August: New trends in double-crop soybean management – Dan Davidson, ISA
• September: Tips for establishing a successful wheat crop – Steve Joehl, director of research, National Association of Wheat Growers
• October: How did the 2018 double-crop soybeans fare? – Aaron Prins, CCA Soy Envoy and agronomist, The Equity

Stay tuned and read the blog posts to learn the latest on managing the double-crop rotation.

Agronomist Daniel Davidson, Ph.D. posts blogs on agronomy-related topics. Feel free to contact him at djdavidson@agwrite.com.