Changes Coming on the Way You Grow Soybeans
As soybean growers begin to plan for 2017, there are changing being made. Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh, Director of Research at Beck’s Hybrids, says serious weed resistance issues this year have growers looking for a new approach, “We are seeing a lot of guys starting to switch, asking what can I do differently.” He told HAT many who have used Roundup for years are finding it is not working for them, “So they are looking at the Liberty system. Guys are now convinced that the yields are competitive in soybeans.”
Dave Pasternak, Bayer Indiana agronomist, says soybean growers are going to start buying soybean seeds like they buy corn, by stacking traits, “We hope to be offering Balance GT soybeans next year, and a year or two after that we will have a triple stack soybean variety.”
Cavanaugh says new chemistry will soon be available that will give growers the option to use several different systems to produce soybeans, “We have multiple mode of action technology coming in the future with the Roundup Ready to Xtend, and we are excited about those technologies for soybean production.” But, despite the changes, Pasternek says yield will still be the driving force, “Just like real-estate where it is all about location, for soybeans it will always be about yield.” He says soybean yields have been averaging about a ½ bushel per acre increase per year over the past decade. He expects that rate to increase in the next decade.