We continue our 2018 Management Decisions series this week where we tackle plant populations. At this point, most of you have selected varieties and purchased seed, so one of the next things to think about is soybean seeding rate. Conventional wisdom says planting high populations will ensure maximum yields, but actually, this is not always…
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As growing season begins, it’s an important reminder that the EPA has classified three formulations of dicamba as Restricted Use Pesticides for 2018, BASF’s Engenia®, DuPont’s FeXapanTM and Monsanto’s XtendiMax®. As a Group 4 herbicide, and one of only a few in this site of action available for post-emergence use in soybeans, it’s an important…
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Starting this week we will be discussing some important management decisions for 2018. Over the next few weeks well tackle a variety of topics including planting dates, seeding rates, row spacing, and more. But I’ve decided to start with weeds because proper weed control is one of the most important components of a soybean production program.…
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Want to keep your machinery repair costs down? The best way is to have a plan in place for maintenance and repair, which will also minimize losses due to down-time. Some tips to do this are: Learn about your equipment and understand the regular maintenance recommended. Use a checklist to ensure service work and regular…
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Cover crops provide numerous benefits for the soil, including reduced erosion, improved ability to hold water and greater organic matter. Some soybean farmers still aren’t sure whether they’ll return the investment, but there are a growing number of farmers who agree they pay for themselves in a variety of ways. Here are eight benefits cited…
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If you farm in North Carolina, you know nematodes are a fact of life regardless of what crops you grow. So what exactly is a nematode? Nematodes are tiny, colorless, threadlike, unsegmented roundworms. Nematodes can be found all over the earth and 4 out of 5 creatures on the planet are actually nematodes. There are…
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Take Action on Weeds has debuted a new herbicide lookup tool app that allows users to identify the site of action classification, and will also show other herbicides that fall into the same site of action. Ultimately, this will help farmers diversify their herbicide strategy and effectively control troublesome herbicide-resistant weeds. The Take Action on…
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Seed treatments have gained in popularity over the last few years, but are they a smart investment for soybean farmers? And if so, what kind of treatments are your best options? You are faced with many choices of products that can be placed on the seed. With millions of dollars are spent on seed treatments…
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While weeds are dormant, it is important to keep a close watch on the weather and weeds as to gauge the impact of weather on emergence and control. Weather can change when and how weeds germinate, and a sequential program of residual herbicide can help. Scout fields early for the presence of winter annual weeds…
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2017 was a good year for soybeans in North Carolina and across the Southern US. We tied our state record yield of 40 bushels/acre and nine counties averaged 45 bushels/acre or more. Kudos to all of the farmers and agronomists who worked hard all season to make this happen (along with some favorable…
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Over the last two weeks, we have discussed results from a planting date by maturity group study the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association sponsored. If you missed those posts catch up here in Part 1 and Part 2. As a quick reminder, 8 different varieties (four late 4’s, two early 5’s, and two late 5’s) were evaluated…
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Last week we started discussing data from some planting date by maturity group research that the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association sponsored, and a group of crop consultants carried out. If you missed that post, catch up here. As a quick reminder, 8 different varieties (four late 4’s, two early 5’s, and two late 5’s)…
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