The spring of 2018 will be remembered for too much rain and cold temperatures, which all contributed to one of the most challenging planting seasons in recent history. Farmers were concerned about getting their seed in the ground early enough to capture full yield potential, but one must take more than planting date into consideration. Soil conditions at the time of planting and the short-term weather forecast also play an important role in germination and emergence, as many were reminded when they saw poor emergence and weak stands.

With this in mind, the following guidelines will help you evaluate soybean stands and determine whether re-planting is necessary:

» PLANTING DATE: In a five-year study completed by Latham’s research team across multiple states, there was no significant yield difference between soybeans planted before May 15. We evaluated planting dates of late April and early May to mid-May. Planting on or before June 1 averaged 95% of expected yield. In fact, yields didn’t drop to the 85% and lower range until soybeans were planted after June 15. These results compare very closely to similar studies done by university researchers throughout our trade territory.

» PLANT POPULATION: Soybean stands can suffer from a wide variety of problems that will reduce population: hail, disease, insects, cold soil temps at planting time, compaction and planter failures. The biggest problem we find is that stand reductions almost never occur evenly across the field, so farmers must be diligent in scouting their fields and take the necessary time to evaluate their stands properly.

I recommend taking 10 stand counts in the area with the worst damage and 10 counts in the part of the field that was not affected or affected just slightly. At each point, measure off 10 feet of row and count the number of live, viable plants. You can take the average of your 10 points and compare them to the table on Page 3 to see how many plants per acre you have remaining.

A stand of 100,000 evenly distributed plants generally gives you optimum yield. Remember that as the growing season progresses, it is much more difficult to establish a good stand of soybeans. This means you might be better off leaving a stand of 75,000 plants on July 1 rather than trying to establish a new population. A stand of 75,000 on May 15, however, seems very inadequate and would warrant replanting.

Evaluating your stands early will help you identify concerns while there is still time to remedy the situation. If you have questions on evaluating your soybean stands, feel free to contact me or Phil Long.

July makes corn and August makes soybeans, as the saying goes. That’s because adequate moisture levels are especially crucial during two key developmental stages: germination and reproduction-seed development. Having adequate moisture wasn’t an issue at germination time as record rain fell in Iowa after Easter. The Midwest experienced wet, cold weather in May and into June, yet some areas haven’t received a drop of moisture for the past three or four weeks.

Moisture during the reproductive stages has a major impact on yield potential. When water is short during this growth stage, soybeans show signs of drought stress. Plants may abort flowers, and the numbers of pods set is reduced. Fewer seeds per pod are produced per pod, and smaller seed may result. Because dry conditions can slow or stop the nitrogen fixation needed by the plant to produce soybeans, yields will be lowered.

Anytime you get this type of weather, other stress factors arise. You may notice soybean fields turning yellow, which is a common symptom of Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC).  IDC is a function of the soil type, so it’s most common in poorly-drained soils with higher-than-normal pH values.

Unfortunately, it’s too late to really manage IDC properly by the time it’s noticed in a field.  The best defense is a good offense.  Note trouble spots now, and then be proactive when choosing future soybean brands for these fields. In fact, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds gives the IRONCLAD^TM designation only to those soybeans bred for high yields with a strong defensive package.

There is no such thing as complete resistance to IDC, but some soybean brands (i.e. varieties) are better than others at handling this condition.  Because Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is headquartered North Central Iowa – where Iron Chlorosis is a familiar challenge – we have always tried to choose soybean genetics that have the best possible scores against this condition.  Visit with your local Latham® dealer about specific products that would best fit your farm, or feel free to call our office directly at 1-877-GO-LATHAM.

Warm temperatures and below normal precipitation allowed soybean planting and crop progress to advance rapidly. At Latham headquarters in Alexander, we finished planting our corn plots and are nearly done with planting soybeans. Yesterday a welcome one inch of rain fell, which brought planting to a halt.

Statewide corn has been planted on 96% of the acres intended for 2014, as of the week ending May 25. Soybean planting is 80% complete, which was double the previous week’s progress. Nationally, corn has been planted on 88% of the acres and has emerged on 60%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soybeans have been planted on 59% of the U.S. acres and with 25% emerged.

“With just sporadic rainfall last week, crop planting proceeded quickly and now both corn and soybean planting progress is slightly ahead of the 5 year average,” notes Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in his May 27 crop report. “After the extremely late planting last year farmers are excited to get the crop in the ground in a more-timely manner this year.”

For a look at crop conditions around our six state territory, click here, or select a region from the drop down above.