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Six-Ft. Soybeans Yield 89
Bu./Acre
Soybeans grew taller than 6-ft. 2-in. Rich Jansen last
summer near Tecumseh, NE, where Jansen farms with his wife Mary Ann,
about 60 miles south of Omaha. The 6+-ft. soybeans helped Jansen reap
his best yields ever.
“I’ve never seen soybeans grow quite so tall before and still stand
well,” says Jansen, a Merschman seed dealer. “It was a Truman
variety, which I’ve planted before. They have good standability and a
good stalk. The only thing we did differently was put 5 tons/acre of
chicken manure on it, and we ended up with 89 bu./acre on a 15-acre,
pivot-irrigated field.”
On the other 285 irrigated acres that Jansen planted to Truman soybeans
last year, yields averaged 58 bu./acre. The county average for dryland
soybeans is about 26 bu./acre, he points out.
“This just shows that if you have enough water and fertilize it right,
you can make exceptional yields,” says Jansen. “Good drainage is
also important,” he adds.
Jansen plants soybeans in 20-in. rows at a 185,000-plant/acre rate and
sprays them twice with Roundup herbicide to control weeds. Except for
the chicken manure, all his soybean fields were treated the same.
“There are 22 chicken houses near that field, so I just hauled the
manure across the road and spread it,” says Jansen. “The nutrient
analysis is 295 lbs./acre phosphate, 298 lbs./acre potash and 152
lbs./acre nitrogen (if it’s worked into the soil right away). Plus, it
has all the trace elements, like magnesium, sulfur, zinc and iron.”
Lodging became a worry when Jansen saw how tall the beans were
growing. “Usually tall beans don’t yield that well due to lodging,
but everything was just right and we didn’t get any big wind storms to
knock them over,” he says.
Actually, tall plants can be one of the byproducts of high-yielding
soybeans, says Bill Wiebold, University of Missouri Extension
agronomist. At least, that’s what yield champions like Kip Cullers,
Purdy, MO, are discovering when yields approach or surpass 100 bu./acre,
he points out.
Despite the apparent correlation between height and yield, soybean
farmers shouldn’t put top priority on finding a soybean plant that can
grow tall, cautions Wiebold. What’s really important is not so much
the height of the plant, but the number of nodes on the plant, he
explains.
“What typically happens across the Midwest when soybeans grow over 4
ft. tall is that the plants fall over,” says Wiebold. “When the
plants lodge, the leaves aren’t able to capture the sun, which reduces
yield. So, not everyone should be shooting for 5 ft.-tall or taller
soybeans.”
Yet, farmers who practice high-yield management and use newer genetics
may be able to grow soybeans with a larger stem girth to reduce yield
loss from lodging, adds Wiebold. “Cullers’ beans also produce a
thicker stem that helps them stay more upright,” he says.
Poultry manure may be an important ingredient that helps both Cullers
and Jansen produce a thicker stem that is less likely to lodge, notes
Wiebold. “Surely, the nutrients and organic matter from chicken litter
can help to create a high-yield environment for soybeans,” he says.
“Yet, there’s definitely a lot more to ensuring high yields than
just selecting a tall-growing variety and fertilizing well.”
In addition to the dangers from lodging, there is another potential
pitfall to growing extremely tall soybeans, says Jansen. “You need GPS
equipment to keep from getting lost in the field,” he jokes. But as
long as yields are approaching the 100-bu. range, it may not be the
worst problem to have.
To read more stories about soybean management and production, click
here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/soybeans/.
By John Pocock
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Soy May Reduce Risk Of Colorectal
Cancer
A new study published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition explores how soyfood consumption may lower the
risk of colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon or rectum, in
postmenopausal women. According to the National Cancer Institute, an
estimated 71,560 American women were diagnosed with the fourth most
common cancer in 2008.
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine researchers found that women
who consumed at least 10 grams of soy protein daily were one-third less
likely to develop colorectal cancer in comparison to women who consumed
little soy. This is the amount of soy protein available in approximately
one serving of tofu (1/2 cup), roasted soy nuts (1/4 cup), edamame (1/2
cup) or soy breakfast patties (2 patties).
To read more about the connection between soyfood consumption and cancer
prevention, click here: www.soyconnection.com/pressroom.
Source: United Soybean Board
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Planting
ABCs: April Beans, Check
Research shows that planting soybeans early will bring
better yields.
It used to be that if Bruce Wessling and his dad Roger finished planting
corn in April, they parked their planters until May 1, the date
conventional wisdom said to start planting soybeans in west-central
Iowa. But about 10 years ago, the Wesslings, Grand Junction, IA, decided
to see what happened when they planted beans earlier – around April
25.
What they found were noticeably higher yields. Bruce Wessling recalls
that the beans planted in April produced about 10-15% more bushels per
acre than beans planted later in the spring. They saw similar results
when they experimented with planting dates over the next few years.
“Now it has become a goal to get our beans planted early,” Wessling
says. The Wesslings operate several farms in Boone and Greene counties,
with a 60-40 split between corn and soybeans.
Soybean grower Jim Legvold, of Vincent, IA, likes to plant his soybeans
as soon after the date the federal crop insurance program allows,
normally about April 24 in his area in north-central Iowa.
Legvold, who sits on the United Soybean Board, says he believes early
planting helps combat drought problems later. “You are going to get
the beans into a more mature reproductive state before we get into the
usually hot, dry scenario of August,” he says.
To read more about early soybean planting, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/soybeans/planting-early-better-yields-0201/.
By Karen Bernick
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February USDA Report Mostly Bullish For
Soybeans
There were changes in the domestic U.S. numbers in the
February USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, but
a person had to look hard to find them.
Soybean ending stocks were lowered by 15 million bushels to 210 million
bushels. Grain traders were guessing the USDA would lower ending stocks
a little more, to perhaps as low as 205 million bushels. Soybean exports
have been running ahead of expectations, largely because of shipments to
China, but the estimate of U.S. domestic crush dropped further in this
report due to weak domestic soybean meal usage.
Lost in the focus on minor changes was the fact that soybean ending
stocks were already at a worrisome low level, and in this report were
lowered to just 7% of annual usage. The USDA raised its estimated season
average soybean farm price to $8.75-9.75/bu.
The USDA numbers grain industry analysts were watching for the most were
South American production estimates. The major grain and oilseed
producing countries in South America have been experiencing severe
drought conditions during the summer reproductive period for crops.
The drought is affecting Argentinean production of soybeans – minus
5.7 million metric tons (mmt) or 209 million bushels. Brazilian
production estimates for soybeans also fell minus 2 mmt or 73 million
bushels. However, the losses estimated by the USDA were less than
expected by the trade and much less than are being reported by observers
in South America.
It appears in the February WASDE, as it has done in the past, the USDA
is demonstrating restraint in showing production losses due to drought
or other natural disasters, preferring to make final adjustments when
actual harvest yields are available. Yet overall, the February WASDE
should be considered as positive neutrals for corn and wheat; but
bullish for soybeans.
To read more about the grain outlook for February, click here: www.agmanager.info/marketing/outlook/newletters/.
By Mike Woolverton, KSU Extension Grain
Economist
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ADVERTISEMENT
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competitive edge in the world of soybean farming? Then, look no further
than the site that brings you all the breaking news about current
weather conditions, innovative new technologies and how to improve your
yields.
It’s your one-stop shop for the latest in soybean farming – unitedsoybean.org.
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Super-Sized
Soybean Acres?
In a way, Ron Sladky and Evan Brandes “supersize”
some of their acres.
These Nebraska farmers do it by relay cropping – harvesting three
crops every two years, with the following sequence: corn, winter wheat
planted into the corn stalk stubble, and soybeans planted into the
standing wheat.
They harvest a seed corn crop the first year and two crops – wheat and
soybeans – the following season. They've been successful at it for
several years, too.
While multiple cropping is nothing new, advances in no-till equipment,
crop genetics and crop protection chemicals in recent years are making
the practice more feasible.
To read more about stretching acres with relay cropping, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/corn/growers-use-replay-cropping-0201/.
By Dave Howe
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New Herbicide
Resistance Traits Improve Soybean Weed Management
The discovery of new glyphosate- and other
herbicide-resistance transgenes is providing more weed management
options to growers of crops, according to a report published in Weed
Science.
Glyphosate-resistant crops are grown worldwide and have been associated
with effective weed control, increased profits and less need for
tillage. Low prices for glyphosate have further encouraged its use.
Soybeans, corn, cotton and canola are some of the glyphosate-resistant
crops that have been grown commercially.
To learn more about new herbicide-resistant traits to improve weed
management, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/soybeans/0210-new-generation-of-glyphosate/.
Source: Weed Science Society of
America
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Medical
Scientists Target Soybean Aphids
Medical scientists in Minnesota are focusing their
expertise on a pest that destroys soybeans. The goal of the Minnesota
Partnership team is to develop an insecticide that is safe for humans
but will kill the soybean aphid, a bug that's been ravaging Minnesota
crops. Their findings appear in the Public Library of Science journal
– PLoS One.
“We've shown in the laboratory that we're 99% effective in inhibiting
a key enzyme in two aphids, one that damages soybeans,” says Stephen
Brimijoin, a Mayo Clinic researcher on the team. “This means we should
be able to stop the insect without harming other animals or humans
because the target we're hitting is selective to the aphid.”
Brimijoin collected soybean aphids from demonstration plots at the
University of Minnesota Extension facility in Rochester and isolated the
key enzyme in the aphids, while Yuan–Ping Pang, Mayo Clinic
co-investigator, characterized the molecular structures of the target
area.
“We're reporting the development of a small molecule that blocks
nearly all acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the greenbug and the
soybean aphid, but without inhibiting AChE in humans,” says Pang.
“Now we need to see how well that translates to the field.”
Overseeing that phase will be David Ragsdale, an entomologist at the
University of Minnesota and another co-investigator. The researchers
estimate that phase of the project will begin in a few weeks.
“Our organization is excited about this project and closely awaiting
the outcome,” says Gene Stoel, research chair, Minnesota Soybean
Research and Promotion Council. “This is a great example of how
Minnesota's medical and agriculture sectors can work together for
everyone.”
To read more about the project to control soybean aphids with help from
medical research, click here: www.minnesotapartnership.info/pressreleases/2009-0203/index.cfm.
Source: Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology
and Medical Genomics
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Support For Soy
Soars
Consumers vote for soy products.
There is a broad base of support for soy products, according to an
exclusive online survey. Almost 79% of the respondents said they have
purchased soy-based biodiesel, food or home products. Moreover, 60% of
those surveyed say they promote the use of soy products in their
community.
Corn & Soybean Digest (CSD) magazine conducted the survey
in early October 2008 and received 593 responses.
Sixty-six percent of survey respondents also indicated that they cook
with soy ingredients in their household, and one-third said they consume
soyfoods or beverages at least once a week. Another one-third of
respondents indicated they consume soyfoods or beverages once a month;
13% said they consume soy products more than once a week.
To read more about consumer confidence in soyfoods, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/soybeans/consumers-support-soy-0201/.
Source: Corn & Soybean Digest
|
New Farm Bill Program Information Available
From ISU
The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 contains
a wide variety of legislation affecting everything from school lunches
to milk checks. Some of the most immediate provisions that farmers must
address are:
- New limitations on commodity payments
- Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE)
- Supplemental Revenue Assistance (SURE).
The new payment rules basically attribute USDA commodity payments to
individual taxpayers, regardless of the number and nature of farm
business entities they are involved in. Operators and owners will be
asked to provide information about their roles in their farming
operations in order to establish eligibility for program payments. ACRE
provides intermediate-term protection against the risk of falling
revenues from crop production, in exchange for reduced direct program
crop payments. SURE is a permanent disaster program that extends the
level of coverage that producers can purchase through conventional crop
insurance policies.
Additional information about the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of
2008 can be found on the Iowa State University (ISU) Ag Decision Maker
Web site: www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/info/farmbill.html.
Also on the site is a schedule of county-level informational meetings
that will be held during the next several months. These county level
meetings will feature presenters from ISU Extension and the Farm Service
Agency.
For those who cannot attend these meeting, archived video presentations
can be viewed on personal computers. Link here to view the archived
videos:
By William Edwards, ISU Extension
economist
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Minnesota
Barriers To Bushels Program Starts Soon
To help address key management issues of southwestern
Minnesota producers, a Barriers to Bushels program will be held at four
locations in late Feburary and early March. This is a program developed
by the University of Minnesota Extension aimed at current issues and
research in crop production with the intent to ultimately help increase
a producer’s bottom line.
Topics include soybean ground rolling research, corn and soybean disease
updates, corn pest management, corn fertility, weed management and more.
Past participants expressed that they have benefited from the useful,
timely and research-based information the University brings to these
meetings. This program is aimed to provide crop-management benefits for
producers and ag professionals alike.
To find out more about the program, including the Minnesota location
nearest you, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/events/0210-barriers-to-bushels/.
Source: University of Minnesota
Extension
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Take Part In
Corn & Soybean Digest Poll
Please cast your ballot in the latest Corn &
Soybean Digest (CSD) quick poll. The most recently posted
question is: What is your biggest concern as you enter the 2009
planting season?
Cast your vote on CSD's home page at: cornandsoybeandigest.com/.
(The poll question is just to the right of the “What’s New” top
section of the Web site.)
Source: Corn & Soybean Digest
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2009 Ag Symposium: Don't Miss
It
Brock Associates is hosting the 2009 Agricultural
Economic Symposium on Feb. 23-25, just before Commodity Classic.
“This year’s Agricultural Economic Symposium will again be
immediately prior to the Commodity Classic, and this year we’re all
headed to Dallas, TX,” says Richard Brock of Brock Associates. “This
arrangement allows you to attend two great industry events in one
convenient location.”
Sessions include Agriculture and The World in Transition, Farmland
Values, Farm Transition Planning, Managing in New Economic Times, The
Economics of Innovation, Weather – Its Long-Term Impact, The Impact on
Grain and Livestock Prices, Meeting Global Demands Through Innovation,
Ethanol – Will the Growth Continue; and Grain Price Outlook – Where
Are We Headed?
“The 2009 Agricultural Economic Symposium is jam-packed with dynamic,
high-profile speakers who are among the sharpest minds in the
industry,” says Brock. “We are once again fortunate to have Robb
Fraley from Monsanto on the program. Also on the program will be the
ever-popular David Kohl.”
Registration for the conference is $325, and includes all sessions,
handouts, breaks, meals and a reception on Monday evening. To register,
call 800-558-3431 or go to: www.brockreport.com/seminars.php.
Source: Brock Associates
|
Let's Talk
Ag
Need seeding-rate advice? Want to network with other
farmers? Wondering which precision tool is more accurate? Join Let’s
Talk Ag – a new, online forum dedicated to farmers and hosted in part
by Corn & Soybean Digest. You can post questions, answer
questions, network and get advice. Joining is simple and free, and only
takes a few minutes.
Go to www.letstalkag.com to get
started and join a growing network of farmers who
want to answer your questions and get answers from you. It's a great way
to learn new methods, get fresh advice and make new friends (just like
on Facebook and MySpace).
Source: Corn & Soybean Digest
|
Replanted
Acres Head Back To Corn?
Last month, I asked Soybean E-Digest readers to
write to me about their plans for their corn and soybean rotations for
2009 and promptly received a note from, Jim Mitchell, a reader who lives
and farms part-time about 40 miles southeast of Des Moines, in
south-central Iowa.
“I love to talk farming as it has always been a dream to farm
full-time,” writes Mitchell. “During my Saturday morning visits to
the local co-op for a cup of coffee, I hear most of the guys saying they
will be planting a lot more corn next year due to the flooding last
spring. When their corn couldn't swim, they were forced to replant
beans. So now they have a bunch of bean acres they will be planting corn
on. They all feel they can lower their input costs substantially by
taking advantage of the ‘free’ nitrogen from the beans.
“I am fairly close to two major rivers, the Des Moines and the Skunk,
which may skew my information,” adds Mitchell. “Everybody seems to
forget the flooded corn acres that were switched to beans this past
summer. What are your thoughts?”
Not having a good idea exactly how many acres farmers planted to
soybeans after their corn fields became flooded last spring, I called
the Iowa State University soybean expert, Palle Pedersen. He estimates
that Iowa farmers replanted approximately 400,000 acres to soybeans in
2008 after wet weather drowned out corn fields. He also agrees that
farmers stand to benefit by planting corn after soybeans on those
formerly flooded acres compared to planting soybeans after soybeans.
Still, while 400,000 acres sounds like a large number, it likely won’t
have much impact on the overall corn and soybean acreage totals in Iowa
for 2009, says Pedersen. “The USDA predicted 9.2 million acres planted
to soybeans for Iowa in 2008, but the state ended up with 9.6 million
acres,” he says. “That’s only about a 4% increase in soybeans.”
While those 400,000 acres are likely to go back to corn in 2009, other
acres planted to corn after corn last year will likely switch to
soybeans in 2009, due to lower corn prices and higher nitrogen
fertilizer prices than in 2008, Pedersen points out.
If you have a good reason to switch more acres to corn or soybeans in
2009 than usual, I'd like to hear from you. When writing, please let me
know your name, where you farm, why you think either corn or soybeans
will be the more profitable crop to plant this spring and whether or not
I have permission to use your comment in a future Soybean
E-Digest newsletter. You can contact me (John Pocock) at: john.pocock@penton.com.
As always, you're welcome to write to me if you have concerns or
questions about this issue. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks
for your readership, think spring – and farm on!
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