On June 3 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District issued a ruling vacating U.S. registrations of three dicamba herbicides (XtendiMax, Engenia, FeXapan). This ruling has left much confusion across the industry and producers have heard many different things from various sources about the sale and use of these products. We hope to…
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With many water-damaged soybeans across the state, growers question whether to harvest these crops or not. NCSU’s Ag Resources Economist Dr. Nick Piggot has put together some suggestions for answering this question. The first thing a grower needs to do is calculate what the break-even yield is to warrant combining the field. This is the minimum yield…
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Proper variety selection is one of the most important steps a soybean producer can make. It is important to devote some time to selecting the proper variety as this decision is one of the first steps to maximizing yields. If we compare the top 10% of soybean varieties grown within a single maturity group at…
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Proper variety selection is one of the first steps in producing a high-yielding, healthy crop. Choosing an appropriate variety is one of the most important decisions a soybean producer will make and one of the hardest because there are so many varieties available. Each variety has specific strengths and weaknesses that make it more- or…
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As much of the soybean crop begins to move into reproductive stages, it’s time to start scouting for pod feeding insects. Our common pod feeding insects include corn earworm and stink bugs. In some areas of the state, stink bugs seem to be a real problem this year. And, corn earworm traps across the state…
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With over 75% of the North Carolina soybean crop flowering and 50% setting pods, now is the time to start thinking about how disease pressure may affect your crop. Getting in the field and looking for foliar or stem diseases is critical to determining what diseases are present and if a fungicide application is needed.…
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When it comes to weed control, growers must use every tool in their toolbox to fight the battle. One of the often overlooked tools is ensuring maximum herbicide efficacy through time of spraying. Over the last few years, a number of different research groups from universities across the Southeast have been looking at the impact…
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There are undoubtedly many benefits to harnessing the power of data management, but the options are many. And, once a system has been implemented it takes a lot of time to use it properly, both to learn how to use it and to analyze the data so it can be used. There can challenges with…
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We hope you are enjoying the holiday season and finally have the long season behind you. The end of the year is always a season of reflection about the past with an eye toward what is on the horizon. We are proud to be a part of the soy family and to play a role…
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Interest in cover crops is increasing as a number of groups have demonstrated higher yields and improved soil health from incorporating them into an operation. But adopting cover crops is not a one-size-fits-all solution for growers and there many different options that may provide different benefits for different operations. Cover crops have…
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Whether you’re battling pigweed, horseweed, or ragweed, herbicide-resistant weeds have declared war on farmers in North Carolina and across the United States. With the number of species and types of chemistries with resistance continuing to grow, it will take all weapons available to defend our farms. But replacing one herbicide chemistry with the next won’t…
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Soil fertility is one of the most important components to soybean management, yet many growers only have a general idea of their soil nutrient needs. Since soybeans are thought of as rotational crop by many North Carolina growers, the importance of assessing and meeting the fertility needs of the crop is often overlooked. Regular and…
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