Soybean choices on the mind

LEXINGTON – The different soybean platform choices have made for an interesting winter meeting season across the area, and that’s a big talking point as we head into spring too.

Yale Young, a field advisor for Brandt Consolidated, says it will be important to know what your neighbor has this year. The four basic types of soybeans include: non-GMO, Roundup Ready, Xtend and Liberty.

“These are all technologies that are great in the marketplace,” Young said. “We are going to have to know how to use them and use them correctly to make them work.”

These technologies are needed in order to move forward from a weed pressure standpoint. Young believes the key to successful soybeans is starting clean and weed free. This can be done through tillage or chemicals. Residuals should be overlapped as much as possible to keep weeds under control.

Young thinks some growers may try to plant soybeans before corn this year.

“We definitely see in our yield studies that early planted protected soybeans easily have a 7-12 bushel advantage.”