Reducing Soybean Lodging

  Soybean lodging (plants that fall over) can seriously impact yield. Fortunately, it’s often only small portions of a field that lodge. In rare cases whole fields will go down, which devastates yield potential. Light penetration into the canopy during key growth stages will be impeded by lodging, reducing a plant’s ability to produce seed. […]

Read More…

The 1st Trifoliate is the Best Time to Roll Soybeans

Land rolling helps conserve moisture, levels the soil, and pushes small rocks into the ground. Some producers roll immediately after planting, while others wait until the soybeans have emerged. Rolling immediately after planting provides improved seed-to-soil contact and reduces the likelihood of plant injury. But, it also increases the chance of soil crusting, which hinders […]

Read More…

Soybean Replant Considerations

Soybeans are prone to poor plant establishment because the seedling must pull the cotyledon seed leaves through the ground to emerge. Plant stand reductions are rarely uniform, which makes the decision to replant difficult. Do not assess a poor soybean stand too quickly, since more seedlings may still emerge. In 2020 we have seen soybeans […]

Read More…

Is it Too Cold to Plant Soybeans?

Prolonged cold weather this spring has led some producers to wonder if soybean planting should be delayed. Over the next few days weather forecasters are even predicting a “polar vortex” with possible daytime highs of 3°C and nighttime temperatures of minus 3. Does this mean soybean planting should be delayed until things warm up? There […]

Read More…

Identifying and Mitigating the Risks of Ultra-early Soybean Planting

By Mike Staton, MSU Extension Soybean Educator and Horst Bohner, Soybean Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Some soybean producers in Michigan are experimenting with ultra early planting dates (late-March to mid-April) with positive results. To date, research trials have not shown a consistent yield benefit to planting this early when compared […]

Read More…

Soybean Management

Delayed Planting The spring of 2019 was unprecedented in Ontario. Cool temperatures and constant rainfall delayed planting of much of the crop. Most soybeans were planted in June and for some growers it was July. There are often pockets of the province that can’t plant due to wet soil conditions, but we have not experienced […]

Read More…