Soybean production practices in the United States have changed tremendously in the last 20 years, often responding to advances in technology and equipment design and availability. As farmers strive to find new information and new technology to improve soybean yield, they may try any number of seed or soil inoculants that are currently marketed. However, the odds of getting a yield increase from inoculants may not be good.A 2007 survey of farmers by crop specialists at land grant universities found that 18 percent of farmers in Indiana used an inoculant while a separate survey in 2008 found 85 percent of farmers in Wisconsin used one. Inoculating soybeans with products containing the bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum is considered an inexpensive management tactic to increase yield. The bacterium forms a symbiotic or beneficial relationship with soybean roots allowing for nitrogen fixation to occur.Current recommendations for the use of inoculants in the Midwest suggest they should be used if soybeans have not been grown in a field in the last 5 years or if a field has been flooded for more than seven days.Purdue University researchers concluded in 2005 that “Inoculant use [in a soybean/corn rotation] may be a viable method of increasing soybean yield.” In contrast, researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently published that the use of inoculants in a field that had been planted to soybeans in the recent past was unnecessary.University soybean specialists from several Midwest states recently took a big-picture look at the data from several research trials investigating the performance of inoculants for soybeans. They found that 51 inoculant products had been evaluated in 73 experiments conducted between 2000 and 2008 in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.The result? The research team reported that sixty-three of the 73 environments (environment = year x location) showed no significant yield response to an inoculant. Four of the environments showed a negative response from the inoculants between the range of five and seven percent. And only six of the environments showed a positive response between five and twenty-three percent greater than the control.Rising input costs, escalating land prices, and volatile commodity prices are all driving the need for soybean producers to improve profitability. However, the use of inoculants to increase yield may not be the solution farmers are looking for, especially if soybeans have been grown in the recent past. In fact, the prophylactic use of inoculants without an active on-farm testing program could be costing you money. However, if a field has not produced soybeans in the past four or five years or has never produced soybeans, an inoculant is needed for nitrogen fixation to occur.Higher soybean yields can be achieved with greater levels of management and the adoption of current, science-based best management practices. Many of these recommendations can be found on this website. That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering Results.

The American soybean industry has changed dramatically since soybean rust was found on our shores in late 2004 – and so has our understanding of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the fungal pathogen that causes the disease.Five years after soybean rust was discovered in Louisiana, more than 130 scientists at the American Phytopathological Society’s Fourth National Soybean Rust Symposium shared both good and bad news:• Farms in the United States have not been devastated like those in Brazil, though 2009 saw the first major economic losses to soybean rust in hard-hit fields in Mississippi.• An array of fungicides were registered and put to good use controlling soybean rust, but reports from Brazil indicate the soybean rust fungus may be getting more tolerant of the triazole class of fungicides in some areas.• Some populations of kudzu are resistant to soybean rust, but the amount of infected acreage of kudzu that serves as a spore bank has been growing steadily.• Geneticists are gaining an understanding of how some plants defend themselves against the fungus and are isolating genes breeders can cross into commercial varieties, but they point out that resistant varieties will not be a silver bullet for managing the disease.Marking a Shift“This is a celebration of accomplishment,” Anne Dorrance of The Ohio State University told the group in New Orleans, LA. “There has been a tremendous amount of research and sweat and driving hours and laboratory bench hours. We have focused a lot of brainpower on P. pachyrhizi.”Scientists have published 170 peer-reviewed papers in European and American publications since 2004.The effort to understand and manage soybean rust is by no means over, but the 2009 symposium marked a shift in tone for the group. We’ve gone from the fearing this disease to being confident we can manage it if it becomes a problem.Among the biggest changes growers will see in the coming year is a scale-down of the Sentinel plot system that has covered the nation’s soybean producing areas since 2005 with meticulously-scouted soybean plots. “With the end of federal grants that have supported the system, funding will drop 60 to 80 percent in 2010 compared to its 2006 to 2008 peak”, says Don Hershman, extension plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky.Grower CommitmentThe Sentinel plot system is a monument to soybean growers’ commitment to staying ahead of soybean rust, Hershman points out. The plots paid off handsomely – both in the value of the data they provided on how soybean rust moves and in the estimated $200 million growers have saved each year by avoiding unnecessary sprays or making properly timed treatments when needed.Growers shouldn’t worry because if a “perfect storm” of spores and weather sets the stage for Midwestern outbreaks, or the pathogen shifts to a more Midwest-adapted race, they will be protected. “From a Northern perspective, we only need to know where soybean rust is from about April 1,” Hershman says. “The South is where the main event is. If things begin to change, if models indicate there could be a problem in the [Midwest], there will be ad-hoc monitoring. No soybean specialist will drop the ball on this.”

Missouri soybean farmer Kip Cullers amazed the world with his record soybean yield of 139 bushels per acre in 2006. He shocked the farming community in 2007 with another world record soybean yield of 154 bushels per acre. He attributes his success to having the right soil, application of the right amount of water, making the right management decisions and selecting the right genetics. It’s all about managing risk to achieve high, stable yields.Yield potential is the first consideration. Look for strong yields across multiple locations, that’s called yield stability. Data combined across multiple locations will be more reliable. A variety with stable performance across several locations in the same region is more likely to perform well on your farm.Evaluating yield performance using multi-year data is also possible if the seed company has a large multi-year dataset. However, keep in mind that predicting year-to-year performance is difficult because of the difficulty in predicting year-to-year variations in the weather.You can also enhance yield and yield stability by planting seed with resistance to the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). This tiny little roundworm silently robs producers of yield; often without showing above-ground symptoms. Ask your seed supplier to tell you the source of the SCN resistance. Rotating resistance sources will help prevent the nematodes from overcoming SCN resistant varieties.The agronomics of high-yielding varieties should match the known history of diseases within each field.While sudden death syndrome and white mold devastated some soybean fields this year, improved disease resistance shouldn’t be the only buying decision for next year’s product portfolio. Choose soybean varieties with above average agronomics but don’t sacrifice yield potential. Remember, you can’t predict how severe soybean diseases will be next year. Although white mold will always be present in some fields, it will likely not be as severe next year.The geographies impacted by sudden death syndrome (SDS) expanded again this year, with the disease moving further west and north. Farmers will likely see this disease again next year because it often shows up in the same fields that are infested with SCN. Improve your chances of high yield by planting varieties with a combination of SCN resistance and above average resistance to SDS.Farmers now have a greater choice of varieties with resistance to non-selective herbicides. Choices for glyphosate resistance are expanding to include varieties with the new higher-yielding Roundup Ready 2 Yield technology. If glyphosate resistant weeds are an issue, or you are a practicing steward of technology, varieties resistant to gluphosinate (Ignite herbicide) are now widely available. For higher soybean yields spray weeds early. Weeds compete with soybeans for sunlight, water and nutrients.Selecting the right high yielding variety is just the first step toward improved profit potential; making the right management decisions is the second step. That is where the Plant Health Initiative can help; managing soybeans from the ground up for higher yield is what we are all about.That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering results.

Investments by soybean farmers into soybean research are paying off in a really BIG way. Scientists at Michigan State University reported that the economic threshold of 250 aphids/plant for managing soybean aphids, a threshold developed using soybean checkoff dollars, will save farmers $1.3 billion over a 15 year period. The information collected from the checkoff-funded sentinel plot system saves farmers $200 to $300 million annually.That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering results.And that’s just the beginning. University soybean breeders have been working to develop soybeans with improved resistance to sudden death syndrome for nearly a decade. Their efforts paid off in 2008 and farmers will soon have maturity group II soybeans with greatly improved resistance to an increasingly problematic disease.Much of this work has been funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) a farmer-led organization that strives to maximize the profitability of soybean production by investing in research that improves soybean health.“We get work done because we work together,” says outgoing president Jerry Wyse, a seedsman and farmer from Haven, Kansas. “We focus on solving problems that are important to all soybean producers. We prioritize the important projects higher than those that are urgent.”One of the important problems to solve is minimizing yield loss from the soybean aphid, a pest that can cause a 40 percent yield loss when left uncontrolled. NCSRP is thinking big when it comes to managing this tiny little bug.Stable, genetic resistance is the panacea for yield loss from all diseases and insects. That’s why NCSRP is enabling scientists to discover and evaluate genes that can build the plant’s natural defense against an invasion of an army of aphids. The first soybean varieties with genetic resistance to the aphid will be available to farmers in 2010. The first resistance genes were discovered by USDA scientists with funding from the United Soybean Board.Other farmer-supported research programs have discovered new genes to sustain plant health even after attack from diseases such as Phytophthora root and stem rot and soybean viruses. The future of soybean production appears less problematic.Midwest soybean farmers once feared Asian soybean rust, an invasive fungal pathogen that threatened the entire North American soybean production system. In response, an internationally conceived, proactive management team has created a precision monitoring system, a coordinated education, information and training network, and a comprehensive research effort. Because of their efforts, farmers are realizing up to $300 million in savings every year by targeting crop protection only where it is needed.This achievement is made possible by a commitment to work together, pool resources and remain diligent. The current disease threat is closely monitored, while disease management tactics are researched through studies at numerous land grant institutions, and by industry. It’s a sustainable approach that keeps the soybean industry profitable, vibrant, and productive.That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering results.

Thank you for visiting the new Plant Health Initiative (PHI) website, home of the most recent soybean management information and checkoff-funded production research results.We recently redesigned this site to make it even easier for soybean growers to find:

• Agronomic information and recommendations covering everything from soil preparation, planting dates and seeding rates to managing for high yields and precision agriculture

• Unbiased information on soybean pest and disease management and control strategies, from aphids and Asian to SCN and sudden death syndrome

• No-cost publications and materials detailing the latest research from NCSRP-funded scientists throughout the 12-state region

• Diagnostic tools such as scouting guidelines and photo galleries, to help you identify and manage soybean pests and diseases

• The latest research and recommendations on biological control, including the natural enemies that help control soybean aphid

• Links to national and state resources, such as soybean variety trials, crop reports and pest bulletins

I encourage you to look around a while, and check back often – we post new research results, information updates and state-specific management recommendations regularly.Please contact us with any questions, to let us know if you find this information useful – or if there’s something we’re missing.

The road to profitability in soybean production can sometimes be difficult to maneuver. Rapidly rising input costs, such as land rent and seed costs, plus those unexpected expenses, such as insecticide for aphid control, can quickly eliminate the narrow margins typical to soybean production.Improving the profitability of your operation takes resolve to sharpen your management skills. By improving your management skills, you will increase the resilience of your farming operation; it is this resilience that determines your long-term success. How do you increase the resilience of your farming operation? Get good at what you do. And when you feel good about your management skills, get better. If you think you are already the best – look around, there is always somebody better. Learn from them.The success of a farming operation today is no longer dependent solely on maximum productivity. It depends on your ability to access information, process it, and make a decision. We live in an information-based society with resources at your fingertips through hand-held electronics, Internet access, live news feeds, and computers.It doesn’t matter what skills you have. All that matters is the skill set you need to have to make the best decisions. The future is more important than the past. Knowledge is the most valuable asset you have today. If you want to improve the quality of your farming operation, improve the quality of  your decision-making skills. Greater productivity follows better management skills.