No crop is more influenced by the natural environment (weather) than soybeans. You can’t change the natural environment, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie, but you can minimize its risk. You can even capitalize on soybeans’ reaction to the natural environment, and possibly increase yield, by planting soybeans earlier than what you’re used to.
"You can usually trim seeding populations in highly productive areas with adequate soil moisture," says Matt Duesterhaus with Crop-Tech Consulting. He offers seven additional recommendations.
For every 100 lb. of soybean seed, you can add about 8 oz. of product, such as fungicides, insecticides and inoculants. “Those are low-hanging fruit for yield,” says Kris Ehler, a sales agronomist for Ehler Brothers Co., Thomasboro, Ill.
The success of many of your soybean management decisions depend on the stage of the plant. For example, herbicide applications can injure a plant if applied during the wrong stage, says Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota Extension agronomist. That is why it’s important to identify growth stages rather than just look at plant height.
