Soybean

Williams County Crop Update – October 16, 2023

All information is representative of the Williams County Area. Based on the Bryan Zip Code, over last week and this weekend, the accumulated rainfall hovered around 1.2 inches. Temperatures have not dipped below freezing yet, the average date for the first has passed, so freezing temperatures should be expected at any point.

Corn harvest is just getting started, and not a lot of acres have been harvested yet. The acres that have been harvested have been coming off with high moisture, 18-25%. There has been vomitoxin reported; however, the levels are below concern. Soybeans are around 60% harvested. At the beginning of harvest, the soybeans were coming in dry around 12-13% moisture; however, with the recent rainfall and cloud cover, soybeans are coming in on the wetter side with 15-17% moisture. The current average has hovered around 60 bushels per acre, with the range being 50-70 bushels per acre. Wheat is beginning to be planted and fields are also being tilled as the crops come off the field.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is currently monitoring Box Tree Moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis, family Crambidae). It is currently being found in southwest Ohio. It is the first time this nonnative boxwood defoliator has been found in Ohio. For more information, visit the ODA website or the article published on Buckeye Yard & Garden online (Boxwood Tree Moth Article).

Battle for the Belt: Corn vs. Soybean

Have you ever wondered or debated with others on which crop should be planted first – corn or soybean?

  • Which crop has the smallest yield penalty for delayed planting?
  • Can you adjust your management practices to mitigate losses due to late planting?
  • How are insects, diseases, weeds, and other factors affected by planting date?

For soybean and corn, earlier planting is promoted to maximize yield; however, the planting date window is often short and disconnected due to bad weather. As a result farmers often ‘debate’ which crop should be planted first – corn or soybean.

Follow along with Dr. Laura Lindsey and Dr. Osler Ortez as they ‘Battle for the Belt’. Videos and updates will be posted on the CORN newsletter and the AgCrops Team Youtube channel. Click here to access the YouTube playlist.

Research: the plan is to conduct field experiments at three locations in 2023: Western, Northwest, and Wooster. Five planting date windows:

  1. Ultra-early (first two weeks of April)
  2. Early (second two weeks of April)
  3. Normal (first two weeks of May)
  4. Late (last two weeks of May)
  5. Very late (first two weeks of June)

Corn and soybean will be planted side by side on each planting date. The plan is to repeat the study in 2024.

Extension: on the extension side, we plan on having short, bi-weekly video updates from the field that will be advertised through the CORN newsletter, YouTube, and Twitter. Video updates will include agronomists (OSU and others), other specialists (e.g., plant pathology, weed science, entomology), and farmers. Each will ‘weigh’ the benefits/drawbacks of planting each crop too early or too late. In addition, the research outcomes will be presented as extension articles and talks at extension programming events and field days across the state.

 

Replanting Decisions in Corn and Soybeans… What to Consider

By:  Osler Ortez, Laura Lindsey, and Alexander Lindsey

Early plantings, cold air and soil temperatures, precipitation, wind, and warmer temperatures during or after planting may lead to reduced stands in planted fields due to factors such as imbibitional chilling, frost damage, soil crusting, and standing water. These factors (or combinations of them) can negatively affect seedling vigor, plant growth, crop establishment, and plant stands. Reduced stands may result in lower yields. If reduced stands are a concern, a potential solution is to replant fields. However, before replanting, here is a list of steps to consider: Continue reading Replanting Decisions in Corn and Soybeans… What to Consider →

Soybean Planting Progress, Emergence, and Misconceptions

By:  Laura Lindsey

Recent wet weather across the state has slowed soybean planting progress, but should be picking up with warmer and dryer weather. As of the last week of April, 2% of the soybean acres in Ohio were planted. Last year at the same time, 17% of soybean acres were planted. However, 2018 through 2020, planting progress was similar at 1-2%.

Table 1. Percent soybean acres planted in Ohio by week for the past five years (USDA NASS).

Week

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2nd Week of April

0%

1%

0%

0%

0%

3rd Week of April

0%

8%

0%

0%

0%

4th Week of April

2%

17%

2%

1%

1%

1st Week of May

–*

20%

7%

1%

8%

*Not reported yet reported when this article was written.

As soybean planting continues and plants emerge, here are some things to look for as well as some common misconceptions from soybean extension specialists across the U.S. Continue reading Soybean Planting Progress, Emergence, and Misconceptions →

Remember soybean aphids? They might be in your fields

By:  Andy Michel and Kelley Tilmon

Note for Williams County growers:  If you suspect soybean aphids in your field, please call ANR Educator Steph Karhoff at 419-519-6047 with field location and soybean variety to have your field scouted and aphid sample taken for research purposes.

Soybean aphids have always been around Ohio, but it has been a while since we have had many fields with high populations.  Based on recent scouting, we have noticed increasing populations of soybean aphids.  As we go into the critical growth stage of soybean, this is also the most important time to check your fields for soybean aphids and see if you have exceeded the threshold of an increasing population of 250 aphids per plant.

Continue reading Remember soybean aphids? They might be in your fields →

Soybean Stand Evaluation and Re-Plant Decisions

By:  Laura Lindsey

Last week I checked-out our ultra-early soybean planting trials in South Charleston and Wooster (funded by Ohio Soybean Council). Both locations had soybeans planted on April 5/6 and April 28. At the Wooster location (northeastern OH), the soybeans planted on April 6 were emerging with the most advanced plants between the VE (cotyledons above the soil surface) and VC growth stage (unifoliate leaves unrolled and not touching). Soybeans planted on April 28 had not yet emerged at the Wooster location. In South Charleston (western OH), soybeans planted on April 6 were at the VC stage. The soybeans planted on April 28 were beginning to emerge. Continue reading Soybean Stand Evaluation and Re-Plant Decisions →

Adapting Burndown Programs to Late-Planted Situations

By:  Mark Loux

It’s déjà vu all over again.  We have run this article every few years, and it seems like maybe the frequency is increasing as we deal with wet and cold weather that delays planting.  The questions about this have not changed much, and neither have the suggestions we provide here.  One of the most common questions, predictably, is how to kill glyphosate-resistant marestail and giant ragweed and generally big weeds in soybeans when it’s not possible to delay planting long enough to use 2,4-D ester (Enlist soybeans excluded since there is no wait to plant).  Overwintered marestail plants become tougher to kill in May, so this is an issue primarily in fields not treated last fall.  The good news is that we have more effective herbicide/trait options for help with burndown compared with a few years ago.  The bad news is that nothing we suggest here is going to be infallible on large marestail. Continue reading Adapting Burndown Programs to Late-Planted Situations →

“Take the Test & Beat the Pest” – Free SCN Soil Testing Available in 2021


SCN coalition what's your number logoAs part of the SCN Coalition surveillance program, free SCN testing will be available to soybean growers in Williams, Fulton, Henry, and Hillsdale (MI) Counties again in 2021.

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), is the #1 yield-limiting soybean pathogen in the U.S. and could be “silently” robbing you of bushels. This is because SCN can cause yield reduction without any visible above-ground symptoms, like stunting or yellowing. Knowing whether SCN is present in your field(s) and to what extent impacts your soybean variety, crop rotation, and seed treatment decisions. Continue reading “Take the Test & Beat the Pest” – Free SCN Soil Testing Available in 2021 →

Good Idea? Bad Idea? Planting Corn and Soybean in Early April

By:  Laura Lindsey and Alex Lindsey

Freeze damage below the cotyledons. The soybean plant will not recover.

Freeze damage below the cotyledons. The soybean plant will not recover.

Planting when conditions are adequate (soil temperatures above 50°F and greater than 45% plant available water content) is recommended for corn and soybean. This year, these conditions are occurring sooner than normal. At a two-inch depth, average soil temperature ranged from 48 to 51°F between April 1 and April 7 (Table 1). In general, early planting helps increase yield potential of both corn and soybean. For soybean, each day delay in planting after May 1 results in a yield decrease of 0.25 to 1 bu/acre/day. Additionally, there is also the real observation of the last few years that if you don’t get planted early, rains in May could prevent planting all together (thinking of you, 2019). While there are benefits of early planting, there are also risks that should be considered (especially if the weather turns cool). Continue reading Good Idea? Bad Idea? Planting Corn and Soybean in Early April →