ILSoyAdvisor Blog

Crop production is the process of managing plants to maximize sunlight interception, carbon assimilation (photosynthesis) and storage of carbohydrates that ultimately produce grain, fruits and fiber to benefit mankind. The assimilation process can be reduced significantly by low soil fertility, insufficient plant nutrient application, pests, soil type and weather. Producing soybeans involves managing all controllable inputs to optimize plant...

Fusarium head blight (FHB), or head scab is widely considered to be the most problematic disease impacting wheat production in the United States. In Illinois, the disease is predominantly caused by the fungus, Fusarium graminearum.    

Symptoms of FHB include infected wheat heads, often partially bleached, and infected kernels which may have an orange/pink color at the base of the spikelet (Figure 1).

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At the January 2018 Soybean Summit in Springfield, Ill., growers submitted these questions with their evaluation forms.

• What are the practices with the most ROI?
• Can you tell me about the success rate vs. cost of treatment?
• What’s the economic return on different practices? 
• Does it pay? Growers that see responses to fungicide/insecticide performance vs. growers that don’t.

I realize...

By traditional protein and oil quality measures, the 2017 Illinois soybean crop performed well compared to the national average. 

Protein was slightly lower. Oil was slightly higher. And by a relatively new measure—the composite feed value based on seven essential amino acids critical to livestock customers—the 2017 Illinois crop also performed well compared with the national average.

Bottom line: In addition to being the...