ILSoyAdvisor Blog

Record-setting spring rains have really put a lot of producers and their crops between a rock and a hard place. Here at our farm, it was the wettest spring I can ever remember in 30-plus years of farming. We were in the field planting a total of three days in May and one in June. We had over 13 inches of rain in June alone, with most rain events being downpours with heavy inch-per-hour intensities.

The result is that we now have crops...

Unlike corn, soybean plants have only a small area in which to store nutrients, making them more susceptible to in-season shortages. Providing your soybean crop with adequate nutrients will help maintain plant health and increase the efficiency of photosynthesis at the critical flowering and reproductive stages. Here are some tips for ensuring your soybean plants are adequately fed all season long.

Manganese for efficient...

Are you in the habit of treating soybeans as the underdog on your farm?

In the Midwest, soybean are often viewed as JUST a rotational crop when compared to its competitive counterpart, corn. But why is this? Some may argue that they prefer to plant corn and that it is easier to consistently grow higher yields, but why do growers not have the same mentality for soybeans? Since the early 1920s the United States has used soybeans as an...

Thinking of using a fungicide on soybeans this season? When will you apply it and is it likely to work this year?

I have had several local producers ask if they should “waste their money on soybean fungicide this year?” My reply is that first off you’re not wasting your money, you are investing in your crop, and with foliar fungicides you are protecting your yield potential. With foliar fungicides it’s all about reducing the stress the...