This is part 3 of our series on Early Season Soybean Concerns. Check out part 1 and part 2 to read more on the pests and diseases you may be seeing in the field.

The past couple of weeks AgVenture has provided agronomic leadership training in Illinois for many of our Independent Seed Companies.  One session took place in a field of soybeans at the V3 stage and we discussed what brought us thus far to an excellent stand, and then what to be looking for in the coming weeks.

How We Got Here

A cropping plan that considered among other factors:

• Which AgVenture soybean from the line-up best suited this particular field.
• A planter set-up accompanied by a dialed-in equipment operator that targeted seed placement to achieve uniformity of at least these 5 criteria…1) uniform depth 2) uniform width  3) uniform seed-to-soil contact  4) uniform soil moisture  5) uniform soil temperature.  Bonus hint here: planting only “to moisture” or the oft stated “knuckle deep” won’t cut it anymore if you want a stand that makes every plant a full producer.
• A premium seed treatment package. With most US farm fields coming back to soybeans every two years, the totality of the pest spectrum is always present and accounted for.  Even a bare bones treatment won’t provide you top protection against the onslaught of diseases and insects looking to feast on your soybean plants.  This is now true no matter if the spring is warm or cold, or even if you are planting early or late for your region.

What Are The Needs Of This Crop Now

• Eliminate weed pressure. Significant weed pressure as early as the V3 stage can have a vital impact on final yield potential, competing as they are with your soy crop for nutrients and moisture.  Many of your weed species are reaching the growth stage where herbicide labels state you need to take action now.
• Consider if insect activity warrants your attention. We previously noted that many insects working at this time of year infect your plants with diseases that become problematic later in the season.
• Once you encounter a pest problem, ask yourself if there is anything you can actually do about it! Sometimes the only answer involving “yes I can” is to be better prepared next year with your variety selection, targeting built-in protection from maladies like Sudden Death Syndrome or Brown Stem Rot.  Many diseases cannot be fixed in the current year once you have them.
• And finally, a key need of the crop right now is for you to be actively considering that it needs next. Flowering has already begun.  Intense vegetative growth is in progress.  Are there fertility applications or fungicide applications that are warranted soon? What afflictions that normally travel from south to north each growing season are on their way to your area?  Monitor insect activity in neighboring states and communicate with friends or cohorts in other locales to keep apprised of the issues they are dealing with.

Work hand in hand with your Agventure Yield Specialist, your agronomic leader, to make next steps actionable on your way to perhaps your best crop ever. Find your local AgVenture Yield Specialist.