Over 50 farmers and sales reps gathered in Scotland Neck yesterday for a Soybean/Cotton Field Day. A foggy morning turned into a hot day but that didn’t stop us. For the soybean part, Dr. Jim Dunphy discussed variety selection and planting date. Fifteen different RoundUp Ready varieties were on display for folks to look at.…
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With greater than 80% of the soybean acreage in North Carolina setting pods, now is the time to be on the lookout for pod feeding insects. Pod feeders are the most dangerous insect pest as they directly attack soybean yield by feeding on the seeds/pods. Corn earworm and stink bugs are the two most serious…
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Representatives of China’s top soy processors visited North Carolina on Friday – Saturday Aug. 26-27. The trade team was on a multi-state U.S. tour organized by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC.) The team had an unforgettable experience on the Fleming Brothers farm in Halifax County and at the Ram Albemarle Club on the Roanoke…
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Stem canker is a fungal disease that occurs sporadically from year to year in North Carolina. Infection is dependent on favorable weather conditions, specifically prolonged wet weather early in the season. Stem canker is caused by fungi in the genus Diaporthe. Infection by the fungus occurs early in the season, during the early vegetative stages…
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There are many benefits to adding cover crops into a rotation, including the potential for increased profit, reduced inputs, reduction in herbicide use, improved water filtration and erosion control and runoff prevention. Learn more in THIS ARTICLE about why cover crops are worth considering.
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From the office of Jim Dunphy, Crop Science Extension Specialist (Soybeans) and Lindsey Thiessen, Extension Plant Pathologist This morning, Asiatic Soybean Rust was confirmed on soybeans in Colleton County, SC. One pustule was detected on one leaf out of 50 examined. The soybeans were at stage R4 (full length pods in the top four nodes of…
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Drones are impressive technology to be sure, but how can farmers use them to be more effective? They can be useful in scouting for weeds and pests, measuring crop health, monitoring water damage and evaluating weather damage just for starters. Learn more about how drones can help improve efficiency in THIS ARTICLE from USB and…
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It’s never too early to start thinking about soybean variety selection for next year and now is the perfect time to get to see different varieties in the field. NC State conducts official variety testing (OVT) and Dr. Jim Dunphy plants variety demonstrations each year. This means there are over 15 locations across the…
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Sprayer technologies, including variable-rate application technologies, sensors and control systems for site-specific crop management, can help farmers improve effectiveness while reducing inputs and costs. THIS ARTICLE FROM USB explores technological advances in spraying technology, how the advances benefit farmers and new technologies on the horizon in a Q&A with Joe Luck, Ph.D., assistant professor of…
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U.S. soy has grown significantly since the formation of the checkoff in 1991. The value of the U.S. crop has grown from $11 billion then to almost quadruple that in 2014 at $40 billion. The increase has been fueled by an increase in demand, due in part to the efforts of the checkoff to create…
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With over 50% of the North Carolina soybean crop now in reproductive stages, it’s time to begin thinking about how disease pressure may affect the yield of your crop. Scouting is critical to determine which diseases are present and if a fungicide application may be helpful in protecting yield. A number of diseases are common…
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Many problems can occur during the reproductive stages of soybeans, including insect feeding, stunted pods or damage or discoloration to leaves and stems. And, there are many potential causes too, from pests to a virus to a fungus. Check out THIS ARTICLE from United Soybean Board to see some common problems with soybeans in reproductive…
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