What’s the best herbicide program for food-grade, non-GMO, identity preserved soybeans? It’s a common question OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough gets from growers and we have the answer on this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School. Cowbrough says there’s no magical herbicide that can handle all the challenges food-grade soybeans face during the growing season. But… Read more »
Category: Soybeans
Soybean School: Taking a closer look at soybean aphid thresholds
The combination of increased soybean acres and high soybean aphid pressure on the prairies in 2017 has sparked conversations about thresholds, beneficial insects, and how to decide when spraying is warranted. The economic threshold for soybean aphids in Canada has traditionally been 250 aphids per plant on 80 percent of plants, with the population still… Read more »
Soybean School: Preventing those yellow patches next year
Most of the yellow patches in soybean fields in Western Canada and the northern U.S. have disappeared as the plants have recovered, or turned necrotic and died, but one of the big questions heading into harvest is: what toll did widespread issues with iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) earlier in the season take on yields? The… Read more »
Soybean School: One-pass vs. two-pass weed control
Should you spray your soybeans once or twice? In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough takes a look at how one-pass and two-pass herbicide systems compare. He notes that a one-pass program can offer effective weed control if growers keep soybeans fields weed-free through the third trifoliate stage. But… Read more »
More pieces needed to solve dicamba drift puzzle
As the dicamba drift situation unfolds in soybean growing areas of North America, with millions of acres affected, there are some serious questions that will need to be answered in the coming months. How extensive was the damage? What were the factors that led to dicamba herbicide ending up in places where it wasn’t supposed… Read more »
Syngenta receives rights to Enlist soybeans and corn
Syngenta plans to sell soybean and corn varieties with the Enlist herbicide tolerance trait after reaching non-exclusive licensing agreements with Dow AgroSciences and M.S. Technologies. The licenses include the Enlist E3 trait for soybeans in Canada, the U.S., and Latin America, and the global rights for the Enlist event in corn. The Enlist weed control… Read more »
Dynamic soybean demand keeps this incoherent market afloat
When crops reach record high acreages on both sides of the border the market should respond negatively to higher supply levels. Increased supply has to be supported with increased demand and that has been definitely the story in soybeans. Even though the November soybean futures contract (can be seen below) is off earlier highs farmers… Read more »
Soybean School: Painted lady caterpillar dines on thistle and soybeans
The painted lady caterpillar, also known as the thistle caterpillar, is typically something pulse growers in Western Canada have seen as a beneficial insect. This is because it feeds on Canada thistle. However, as seen in 2017, the painted lady caterpillar also likes to chew on soybeans, causing leaf damage and potential yield losses. In… Read more »
Risk versus reward: thinking critically about cover crops
It’s hard to find a farmer these days who doesn’t see some of the benefits cover crops can bring to their operation. From reduced soil erosion to improved soil structure, nutrient recycling, moisture retention and much more – the list of benefits is long and impressive. But how much is too much? Where and when… Read more »
Soybean School: Getting fungicide timing right
A stretch of sunny, dry weather in Ontario has soybeans on the comeback trail. That also means that soybean fungicide timing is sneaking up on many growers as the crop picks up steam in mid July. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF agronomist Ken Currah takes a closer look at the soybean fungicide… Read more »
Watch for these weedy invaders in Ontario
You’ve probably seen and heard reports of the impact invasive weeds like waterhemp and palmer amaranth could have on Ontario crops. While these two heavyweights tend to capture the headlines, there’s a host of other invaders also looking to find a home in your fields. At the recent Southwest Crop Diagnostic Day, Ridgetown College, University… Read more »
Soybean School: Hail management akin to planting double-crop soybeans
When hail hits first trifoliate soybean plants in late June, should you replant? In most situations, RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson would give you the ‘thumbs down’ and tell you those plants are resilient and they’ll make a comeback. But the decision really depends on the condition of the plants, says Johnson in the latest episode… Read more »
No easy solution for dicamba drift problem
Despite the creation of new dicamba formulations that are much less volatile and an unprecedented education campaign on how to reduce spray drift, reports of dicamba drift injury are piling up in the U.S. The complaints coincide with the release of Monsanto’s Xtend soybeans, which contain the dicamba tolerance trait that many farmers have been… Read more »
Soybean School: Rolling soybeans could boost yield
The idea of rolling soybeans got its start in many areas as producers looked for ways to push stones into the ground to keep them out of the combine at harvest. But could there be a yield benefit? When rolling soybeans, timing is important – both the growth stage and time of day. In this… Read more »
Soybean School: Late-planted crop playing catch up
It’s been a rugged start for Ontario’s soybean crop. With cool, wet growing conditions, late planting, insect feeding and soil crusting, many growers find themselves squarely behind the eight ball. According to OMAFRA soybean specialist Horst Bohner, most soybeans have been planted but some growers are still struggling to get seed in the ground. What… Read more »