Early planting beneficial - but how early?
MINONK – Believe it or not, there are actually soybeans in the ground in both Woodford and Livingston counties.
While most planters have yet to touch a field in Central Illinois, some growers have been experimenting with early planted soybeans to see what they can handle.
“This early is a little extreme,” admits Bryan Lessen with LG Seeds. “Obviously, we probably shouldn’t be planting beans ahead of a snow but last year we did some local research and we planted beans on April 22. With the same variety and seed treatments, we found a 6.5 bushel advantage.”
If soybeans are exposed to more sunlight, the theory is you are going to get higher yields. Lessen believes that theory holds true. In fact, growers may want to consider planting corn and soybeans at the same time if possible, since early planted corn also tends to yield better.
Some popular seed varieties from LG this year include 62C02 on the corn side, which is a Smart Stax hybrid and the 3550RX soybean. Lessen encourages growers to be on the lookout for these numbers in plots this year.
The big news for LG this year is the brand unification as a handful of brands will be combined under the LG umbrella. This gives the company a true coast to coast footprint and provides more resources for customers, according to Lessen.
“That’s really exciting going into next year.”
For more information, check out the LG Seeds website at: www.lgseeds.com or call Lessen at 309-660-5974.