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Video: applying foliar fertilizers to soybeans

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STATESVILLE, N.C. — Should you apply a foliar fertilizer to your soybean crop this year?

NC State University’s Soybean Extension Specialist, Dr. Rachel Vann, has some important information for anyone considering this practice. Learn more in this short video:

Foliar fertilizer is a topic where we are getting more questions from growers. Due to producer interest, the NC State University Soybean Extension Program is again researching the value of foliar fertilizers for increasing soybean yields.

(N.C. State Extension)

In 2019 we participated in a study with 13 States across the US for a total of 20 sites. At more than 95% of those sites, when we applied various foliar fertilizer products at R3, we saw no impact on soybean yield in yield environments averaging 20 to 80 bushels per acre. This national project is managed by Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student, Emma Matcham.

Unless there is a documented nutrient deficiency in an existing crop, it is recommended by agronomists that the best way for soybeans to uptake nutrients is through the roots. Soybeans have limited capacity to uptake the level of nutrients, especially macronutrients, needed for high yields through the foliage.

(N.C. State Extension)

We had a tough start to the 2020 soybean season in North Carolina. We had excessive moisture across parts of the state, have now moved into drought and excessive heat, and soybean prices are low; we’re looking for opportunities where we can cut costs with low-profit margins. If you are looking for ways to cut costs this year in soybeans, and there is no nutrient deficiency in your crop, removing foliar fertilizers is one of the practices that you may consider skipping this year as you think about optimizing profit.

Read more at: https://soybeans.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/07/video-applying-foliar-fertilizers-to-soybeans/?src=rss

–Jenny Carleo, N.C. State University

Developing heat stress-resilient soybeans

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MANHATTAN, Kan. — On a recent summer morning, a team of students and scientists worked quietly, row by row in a research field, thinning soybean seedling plants by hand and saving the strongest to establish a uniform plant population for varieties to be grown in a new research project.

The team, led by Kansas State University agronomy professor and soybean breeder Bill Schapaugh, is just starting work on a three-year effort to develop soybean varieties that will better withstand heat stress in the critical post-flowering stage of development. He is working with K-State associate professor and crop physiologist Krishna Jagadish and University of Missouri geneticists Henry Nguyen and Tri Vuong on the project.

The work is made possible by a $500,000 award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).

“The long-term goal of this research is to strengthen the development of commercial soybean varieties with improved tolerance to heat stress,” Schapaugh said, adding that the specific goal is to identify and characterize unique sources of post-flowering heat tolerance in existing soybean germplasm that can be used to develop commercial varieties.

“We are focusing on post-flowering (the seed-filling stage of development) because environmental stresses, such as heat, tend to have the largest impact on seed yield and seed composition during this period of growth,” Schapaugh said.

High daytime temperatures during that stage of soybean development can negatively impact yield – or, how much grain a plant produces – and grain quality, which ultimately reduces what farmers have available to sell after harvest.

That’s particularly important because climate models are projecting that U.S. soybean growing regions will not only experience increased mean seasonal high temperatures, but also frequent episodes of high daytime temperature stress, Schapaugh said.

The researchers are laying the groundwork for developing new cultivars that can tolerate heat stress better than those currently available by accomplishing three objectives, including

  • Observing different cultivars’ yield and composition changes during induced heat stress through a process called phenotyping.
  • Mapping genomic regions responsible for sustaining yield, seed quality and composition under post-flowering heat stress.
  • Validating haplotypes – DNA characteristics that tend to be inherited together with the goal of strengthening breeding efforts to improve soybean resilience under post-flowering heat stress in the future.

To control how much heat and other environmental factors some of the plants are subjected to, the team will grow part of the soybean accessions in eight large tents. Others will be grown outdoors.

The heat tents are unique, custom designed structures placed over the plots that are covered with a clear polyethylene film, Schapaugh said. They resemble a clear wall tent. Air inside the tents will be heated from the sunlight and sensors, and electrically-controlled panels regulate the temperature within the tents during the day. Such heat tents have not been used routinely in soybean research but have been used in a similar manner by Jagadish’s team to examine heat tolerance in wheat.

As part of the research team, K-State and MU undergraduate and graduate students, plus a post-doctoral researcher are enhancing their own education and research skills and techniques, Schapaugh said.

In the end, he added, consumers will benefit from a more consistent supply and quality of soybean products.

More information about K-State’s Department of Agronomy is available online or by calling 785-532-6101.

— Mary Lou Peter, K-State Research and Extension

For more news from Kansas, click here.

Now is time for farmers to assess soybeans for proper nodulation

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CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — According to the most recent Census of Agriculture (2017), there are approximately 27,000 acres of soybeans planted annually in Franklin county. Currently, many of the full season soybeans around the county are flowering and entering the reproductive phase. For those of us working through small grain harvest, now is the time to plant double crop soybeans.

As we move forward in the growing season, we can assess our soybean nodulation to determine if nodules are present in sufficient number and are actively fixing nitrogen. Soybeans are a big user of nitrogen and need approximately 3.5 pounds of nitrogen per bushel of grain produced. So, an 80-bushel soybean crop will uptake approximately 280 pounds of nitrogen. Fortunately, if we have adequate nodulation, we don’t need to be concerned with nitrogen deficiency; nature will take care of it for us. But we do need to assess soybean fields for adequate nodulation.

About 5-6 weeks following planting of soybeans is a great time to scout plants and evaluate nodulation. At this time, nodules should be large enough to be active. When digging up plants in a field, be sure to use a shovel to ensure you are carefully removing as many roots as possible. Simply pulling out the plant will likely detach roots and you will not get an accurate nodule count. After removing the soybean plants from the soil, put them into a bucket of water to rinse the soil from the roots. At the V2 growth stage, nodules will be actively fixing nitrogen from the air

Just because nodules are present does not mean they are actively working. Nodules that are active in fixing atmospheric nitrogen will be pink or red in color when cut open. If nodules are white in color, they may be immature and have not yet begun to fix nitrogen. If most nodules are white in color early on, we would recommend visiting the field in another week to conduct another assessment. Nodules that are mushy and brown are also not fixing nitrogen. Be sure to note the location of the nodules on the plant. Nodules that form on the taproot are likely a result of inoculation from this season. Nodules on lateral roots are likely from bacteria that are existing in the soil.

A properly nodulated soybean plant should have five to seven nodules on the taproot two weeks after emergence or twelve total root nodules per inch of taproot at flowering (R1) (R. Elmore 2007). While we evaluate nodulation early in the season, the number and size should continue to increase until the R5 growth stage.

Causes of poor nodulation can include:

  • Improper soil pH: soil pH should be between 6.5 and 7.0. If pH is below 6.5, the addition of Molybdenum will aid in infection and nodulation. This is a correction that needs to occur with seed treatment or very early seedlings (V1 stage).
  • Planting soybeans into “virgin” ground, where soybeans haven’t been grown. Here, there are low bacteria populations in the soil, and we often see inadequate nodulation.
  • Inoculant that has heated in storage. Be sure to store inoculant in a cool place, out of direct sunlight. Also, be mindful of the expiration date on inoculant.
  • Flooding or very saturated soils lasting seven days or longer will deprive the plants of oxygen.
  • Compacted soils that limit available oxygen.

What can be done if your field doesn’t produce adequate nodules or if they are inactive? If fields are showing nitrogen deficiency (light green, stunted plants), we would recommend that up to 50 pounds of a dry nitrogen fertilizer source be broadcast over the field prior to full bloom (R2 growth stage).

Currently, Penn State Extension educators throughout the state are conducting research on inoculation practices. Following popular planting practices in Brazil, research there has demonstrated a 20% increase in soybean nodulation using a combination of molybdenum, cobalt, Rhizobium, and Azospirillium delivered in water at planting. We are testing these inoculation practices in multiple locations throughout Pennsylvania for a second year. Last year, a local Franklin county producer participated in an on-farm inoculation trial with full season soybeans. This year, the same producer will be replicating the trial with double crop soybeans. 

This project was made possible due to grant funding from the Pennsylvania Soybean Board and the generosity of local producers. This and other project summaries can be accessed online at: https://soybeanresearchinfo.com/states/pennsylvania/. 

Your local agronomy educator, Brittany Clark, can be reached at 717-263-9226 or by email at bac5801@psu.edu.

–Brittany Clark & Dwane Miller, Penn State Extension

 

Acreage report shows more U.S. corn, soybeans planted in 2020

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WASHINGTON — Results from an annual survey of more than 71,000 farmers showed a jump in planted corn and soybean acreage, and a dip in cotton and wheat, compared to 2019.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated 92 million acres of corn was planted in the U.S. in 2020, up 3% from last year. Planted soybeans are estimated at 83.8 million acres, up 10%. Extreme wet conditions hindered the amount of corn and soybeans planted in 2019.

Robert Harper, grain division manager for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, said Corn Belt states had ideal weather this spring, and their crops were planted quickly compared to last year.

“It’s still amazing to me that the American farmer can plant about 30 million acres in a seven-day period,” Harper said in a June 25 webinar for the state’s grain producers.

Nationally, planted cotton is estimated at 12.2 million acres, 11% below last year. Wheat acreage is estimated at 44.3 million acres, down 2% from 2019. This represents the lowest wheat acreage since records began in 1919. Pandemic-related disruptions may be to blame, Harper noted.

“Everything in 2020 is unprecedented.”

In Virginia, farmers planted an estimated 570,000 acres of soybeans, the same as in 2019. Planted corn was estimated at 520,000 acres, down 20,000 acres. Cotton acreage was estimated at 95,000, down 8,000 acres.

The NASS report was released June 30, a day speculators and commodity traders anticipate every year to learn what crops U.S. farmers planted, and in what quantities. Results of an annual prospective plantings survey released March 31 helped speculators predict projected acreage and assist commodity traders in setting prices.

“June 30 was a great start,” Harper said. “Now it’s all about the weather, and watching domestic and international demand and exports.”

–Virginia Farm Bureau

N.C. farmers to plant more corn, soybeans

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RALEIGH, N.C. — “The USDA’s June Acreage Report released today captures North Carolina farmer’s estimated harvested acres for 2020,” said Dee Webb, North Carolina State Statistician. “North Carolina farmers have once again stepped up to provide this essential information and ensured quality data was provided for the report. We understand farmers are dealing with many issues in the agriculture industry and we thank them for their continued support.”

  •   Corn plantings are expected to total 1.02 million acres in 2020, up 3% from 2019.
  •   Cotton growers intend to plant 370,000 acres in 2020, down 27% from last year.
  •   Flue-cured tobacco growers expect to harvest 92,000 acres in 2020, down 21% from 2019.
  •   Burley tobacco growers expect to harvest 300 acres in 2020, down 25% from last year.
  •   Soybean plantings, at 1.6 million acres, are expected to increase 4% from 2019.
  •   Peanut growers intend to plant 105,000 acres in 2020, up 1% from the planted acreage in 2019.
  •   Hay producers expect to cut 774,000 acres in 2020, down 5% from the 2019 estimate.
  •   Winter wheat plantings totaled 460,000 acres, up 59% from last year.

To view the complete report, please click here!

–Dee Webb, USDA, NASS

What stage are my soybeans in?

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STATESVILLE, N.C. — When soybeans start to flower we need to adjust management practices. Learn how to stage soybeans from R1 to R3 from Dr. Rachel Vann, Soybean Extension Specialist in this short video.

R1: Beginning Flower – One open soybean flower on the main stem.

R2: Full Flower – (On average 1 to 7 days after R1) Open flowers all along the main stem. Open flowers at the upper 2 most nodes on the soybean plant that have a fully developed leaf.

R3: Beginning Pod – (On average 5 to 15 days after R2) Look for a 3/16 inch long pod in the upper four nodes of the plant that have fully developed leaves.

From R3-R6 look at the upper four nodes to stage the plant. At this point in soybean development there can be multiple things going on all over the plant, so for consistency purposes focus on those upper four nodes.

Check multiple spots throughout the field to get a good understanding of what growth stage it is in. When 50% of the plants have reached that point in development then you moved on to the next growth stage.

This simple guide will help us accurately assess these early reproductive growth stages so you can use this to trigger management decisions at this point in the season.

Filmed at: N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Piedmont Research Station, Salisbury, NC

–Jenny Carleo, N.C. State University

Seasonal price rally in soybeans

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URBANA, Ill. — Typically, November soybean futures prices see a bit of a rally in June. Hopes grew recently for a similar rally this year. The potential for any such price movement rests on the 2020 crop and export prospects, according to University of Illinois agricultural economist Todd Hubbs.

November soybean futures prices fell almost 13% since the start of the year. The prospect of a seasonal price rally for soybeans relates directly to the 2020 crop. Planting pace sits above the five-year average as of May 24. Soybean acreage left to plant in the 18 states reported by NASS in the weekly Crop Progress report sat at 29.2 million acres last week.

“Due to rainy weather over large areas of the Corn Belt recently, the likelihood of extensive planting seems limited in the upcoming report,” Hubbs says. “Weather forecasts indicate a drier period over the near term, which may get soybean acres planted promptly over many areas. Soybean acreage may grow from the 83.5 million acres shown in the March planting report due to some acreage switching. The June 30 acreage report provides the next USDA acreage estimate for 2020.”

Hopes for a weather premium entering the market remain, Hubbs notes.

“For the U.S., quantifiable yield loss occurs as the percentage of the crop planted after May 30 increases. The prospect of yield losses due to late planting appears minimal at this point,” he says. “While heavy rains may see significant crop replanting in many regions, it remains too early to build large expectations of yield loss. Yield, as usual, looks to be determined from summer weather.”

Hubbs notes the USDA forecast of 49.8 bushels per acre may be low without deterioration in the weather.

“It seems prudent to assume soybean production at or above the 4.125 billion bushels projected by the USDA in the May WASDE report. The next Crop Progress report may provide some support if planting pace suffers a substantial setback. Consumption looks set to determine the prospects for a seasonal rally this year,” he adds.

Soybean crush may slow due to issues with livestock supply chains, but it remains a bright spot for consumption, Hubbs states. Soybean crush maintains a pace to hit the USDA forecast of 2.125 billion bushels. Estimates for soybean crush during the first eight months of the current marketing year exceeded that of last year by 2.5%. The year-over-year changes in crush accelerated during the first quarter of 2020. Crush during the most recent three months reported by USDA (January-March) exceeded that of a year ago by almost 6%.

“April crush total may come in near 182 million bushels. To reach the USDA projection, soybean crush totals during the last four months of the marketing year need to hit the same levels of a year ago,” Hubbs explains. “In total, approximately 680 million bushels of soybean crush from May through August will reach the USDA forecast. Despite a healthy crush pace, exports look to determine if demand side considerations support a seasonal rally.”

The USDA projects U.S. soybean exports during the current marketing year at 1.675 billion bushels, 4.1% less than last year. With about 13.6 weeks remaining in the marketing year, soybean exports sit near 1.37 billion bushels. To reach 1.675 billion bushels for the year, exports during the remainder of the marketing year need to total about 305 million bushels or about 22.5 million bushels per week, Hubbs notes.

For the eight weeks ended May 28, export inspections averaged 16.5 million bushels per week. Unshipped export sales as of May 21 were reported at 247 million bushels. Chinese buying picked up recently with outstanding sales sitting near 75 million bushels. Sales for the 2020-21 marketing year sit at 124 million bushels through March 21.

“China bought 30 million bushels of those sales. Both total sales and Chinese buying outpace last year’s sales for the next marketing year. While recent sales show some improvement in U.S. export prospects, Brazil continues to export at a torrid pace,” Hubbs says.

Brazilian soybean exports since February came in at record levels in March and April. The robust export pace continued into May. A weak currency and plentiful crop helped Brazil capture world market share. The Brazilian real strengthened recently but still depreciated around 33% since the turn of the year. Chinese buying out of Brazil remains strong.

“Continued deterioration on the political front with China adds substantial uncertainty to any export scenario moving forward for U.S. soybeans,” Hubbs states. “The USDA forecast of 2.05 billion bushels for the 2020-21 marketing year relies on Chinese buying under the phase one trade deal.

“As the last two marketing years show, reduced exports to China limit U.S. soybean export totals. No one, including the people setting the policy, seems to know how the growing political impasse will turn out. It seems China cannot avoid some buying from the U.S. in the fall. The magnitude of those purchases contains some flexibility. As the political back and forth between the U.S. and China continue, volatility in soybean prices looks to increase,” he adds.

While the prospects for 2020 U.S. soybean production remain uncertain, a price rally in the soybean market may provide a marketing opportunity, Hubbs concludes.

“The impact of trade uncertainty cannot be overstated,” he says. “Substantial rallies in the soybean market require poor summer weather conditions or trade stability to sustain higher prices. A price movement, even one of moderate size, during June may be a good pricing opportunity for new crop soybeans.”

Discussion and graphs associated with this article available here: https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2020/06/seasonal-price-rally-in-soybeans.html or https://uofi.box.com/s/k14kdjkzmxl2eq9ejyfhnqz4gg8k7x8m

— University of Illinois ACES

For more articles about soybeans, click here.

Corn and soybeans, COVID-19, and the U.S. farm safety net

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URBANA, Ill. — A key input into estimates of economic damage resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is the role of payments by current farm safety net programs.  This article illustrates their importance using a price estimate on May 5 to evaluate COVID-19 impacts on revenue and safety net payments for corn and soybeans.

Combined corn and soybean revenue is projected down by $8 billion across the United States, a decline of 9%.  These estimates are for crop produced in 2020, and do not include losses on 2019 crop, or potential losses on crops after 2020.  Estimates, obviously, are preliminary as prices could change.  Moreover, economic damages will be farm specific, and will depend on many factors.

Overview of 2020 Corn and Soybean Safety Net

The farm safety net for corn and soybeans consists of crop insurance, commodity programs, and marketing loans.  Figures 1 and 2 provide key safety net values for 2020 corn and soybeans, respectively.  Objective is to understand broad market impact of COVID-19 on US corn and soybeans; thus, the values are for the US.  FSA recently reported that US farms elected PLC (Price Loss Coverage) for 76% of corn base and ARC-CO (Agricultural Risk Coverage – County) for 80% of soybean base (farmdoc daily, April 30, 2020).  Given these high shares, Figures 1 and 2 contain only values for PLC for corn and ARC-CO for soybeans.  Projected insurance price is for states having a final purchase date of March 15.

Futures price of December 2020 corn and November 2020 soybeans is as of early morning trading, Tuesday, May 5, 2020.  This price is used to estimate expected insurance indemnities as of May 5.  The corn price is14% below corn’s projected insurance price and the soybean price is 8% below soybean’s projected insurance price.  Making the assumption as of early May that harvest yield equals linear trendline projected yield, no insurance indemnity payment is currently estimated for the highest individual farm insurance coverage level of 85%.  Lower coverage levels also would not have payments.  County revenue insurance would have an expected payment since its coverage level is 90%.  RP (individual farm revenue insurance with the Harvest Price Option) is used in this analysis. RP is the most commonly purchased insurance product for US corn and soybeans.  See the data note for a discussion of trendline yields.

The May 5 futures price is also used to estimate the 2020 market year average price (MYAP), which in turn is used to estimate ARC-CO, PLC, and marketing loan payments.  Two estimates are made of 2020 MYAP.  One uses the average difference between MYAP and December corn / November soybean futures price during crop insurance’s harvest discovery period for the 1990-2019 crops.  The other uses the average of the 10 years with the most negative difference.  These are the 10 years with lowest MYAP relative to the harvest futures price.  The second estimate is made because cash prices have been more affected than futures prices because the COVID-19 pandemic has destroyed demand and increased stock levels.  Cash prices are typically weaker than futures prices when stocks are larger than when they are smaller.  Figure 4 contains the price differences.  Their wide variation for a given crop underscores the importance of considering cash market impacts.  Using the Figure 3 values, 2020 MYAP estimates for corn as of early morning May 5, 2020 are $3.24 and $3.04 (futures price of $3.32 plus -$0.08 and -$0.28, respectively).  Both are well below corn’s $3.70 PLC reference price, implying sizable expected PLC payments for 2020 corn.  Estimates for the soybean 2020 MYAP are $8.41 and $8.00 (futures price of $8.43 plus -$0.02 and -$0.43).  ARC-CO’s coverage value is 86% or, stated alternatively, its deductible is 14%.  Estimated soybean MYAP prices are -6% and -11% below the ARC-CO benchmark price of $8.98.  Yield variation at the county level will likely cause some ARC-CO payments at these levels of price declines but it is too early in the growing season to assume any yield other than trendline yield for the US.  No ARC-CO payments for soybeans are thus expected at present.

2020 Corn and Soybean Revenue Estimates

Revenue estimates are made using the procedures discussed in the preceding section for the February 2020 insurance price discovery period and for May 5, 2020.  The February estimate is an estimate that pre-dates the market impacts of COVID-19.  The May 5 estimate includes the private market estimate of supply and demand impacts of COVID-19.  Table 1 contains the revenue estimates by source.  Corn revenue per planted acre at harvest has declined by -16% to -21% (from $667 to $560 or $526).  The estimates for soybeans are -8% to -13% (from $444 to $408 or $388).  The only farm safety net payment currently expected is from PLC for corn at $54 to $93 per base acre.  The PLC payment estimate includes the 15% reduction for non-payment acres and 7% budget sequestration reduction.  Multiplying these per base acre payments by the 72 million corn base acres in PLC for the 2019 crop year implies total PLC payments to corn of $3.9 to $6.7 billion for the 2020 crop.  It is also important to note that, with another 1% to 2% decline in December 2020 corn futures price, 85% RP will begin to make payments at trendline yield.

Revenue Loss for U.S. Corn and Soybeans

As noted earlier, payments by ARC-CO and PLC are payments to a FSA farm using historical base acres, not to a specific planted crop.  Therefore, revenue estimates need to be made at the FSA farm level, or in the case of this analysis at the US level.  US farms indicated they intended to plant 97 million acres to corn and 83.5 million acres to soybeans in 2002 as of the March 31, 2020 Prospective Plantings report from USDA.  USDA, FSA reported that 95.4 million acres of corn base and 54.0 million acres of soybean base were signed up for the 2019 crop year.  PLC accounted for 72.1 million corn base acres while ARC-CO accounted for 43.0 million soybean base acres.

Multiplying the per acre market revenue estimates in Table 1 by planting intention acre and summing across corn and soybeans results in total market revenue estimates of $100.8 billion as of February 2020, declining to $83.4 to $88.4 billion as of May 5, 2020 (see Figure 4).  This decline is partially offset by PLC corn payments of $3.9 in the case of the average cash price situation.  In the low cash price situation, farm safety net payments by PLC for corn total $6.7 billion. Also in the low cash price situation, ARC-CO makes payments for corn of $339 million while PLC makes payments of $99 million for soybeans (see Date Note 2 for details).  Sum of these three payments is $7.2 billion.  While losses remain considerable, payments by the existing farm safety net as of May 5, 2020 cover 31% and 41% of the losses, respectively. Revenue losses become $8.5 billion to $10.2 billion.

Summary Observations

Deepening concern exists over the demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In estimating the damage that U.S. crop agriculture has suffered, it is important to take into account the payments made by existing farm safety net programs.

Payments by the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage program are made on historical base acres, not currently planted acres.  Thus, they are a payment to the farm, not a payment to the crop.  Nevertheless, it is a payment that offsets the lower prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study takes both of these considerations into account for corn and soybeans, the two largest acreage field crops in the United States.

Using December 2020 corn and November 2020 soybean futures on early morning trade of May 5, 2020, payments by ARC-CO and PLC for corn and soybeans are estimated to range from $3.9 to $7.2 billion, depending on whether you expect the relationship between cash and futures price to be average or weaker than average.  This range illustrates the importance of following what happens to cash prices, not just futures prices.

After accounting for estimated payments from existing farm safety net programs, losses to corn and soybeans are estimated to be between $8.5 and $10.2 billion. These losses are current estimates of those associated with the 2020 crop year.  They do not include losses associated with the 2019 crop, or for future crop years associated with lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note that estimated safety net payments do not include payments from the third commodity program option, Agricultural Risk Coverage – Individual farm, nor do they include payments to other covered program commodities for which corn or soybeans was planted on their base acres. It is also important to keep in mind that even small further declines in corn prices will result in payments by PLC and by crop insurance for those acres insured at coverage levels of 85% or higher, assuming harvested yields equal trendline yields.  These payments for the same price decline will offset some of the losses due to deductibles in the current safety net programs.

The implication of all the considerations mentioned into the three preceding points is that estimates of damage not covered by existing farm safety net programs will not be very accurate until more accurate estimates of actual 2020 yields and program payments become available.  This typically does not start to emerge for corn and soybeans until the September crop reports.  To make payments based on estimated damage before then is to incur substantial risk that payments will either be too large or too small.

Moreover, revenue loss can only be appropriately measured at the aggregate level of all U.S. program commodities.  Stated alternatively, it is not appropriate to talk about revenue damage for an individual crop given that commodity programs make payment on historical base acres not planted acres.

— Carl Zulauf, Ohio State University
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

— Gary Schnitkey, Nick Paulson, Krista Swanson, Jonathan Coppess, University of Illinois
Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics

For more articles on the farm safety net, click here.

Clemson researchers closer to developing heat-tolerant soybeans

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CLEMSON, S.C.  – Soybean is one of the top cash crops grown in South Carolina and some Clemson University researchers have helped discover an “important milestone” in developing heat-tolerant soybeans.

The team is led by Sruthi Narayanan, an assistant professor and researcher in the Clemson Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. The researchers are examining traits that lead to heat tolerance in soybean.

A paper about their study, Comparative Lipidomic Analysis Reveals Heat Stress Responses of Two Soybean Genotypes Differing in Temperature Sensitivity, appears in the April 4 edition of the Plants journal.

“Our study found novel lipid metabolic traits associated with heat tolerance in soybean and the genes controlling those traits,” Narayanan said. “These genes can lead to the identification of molecular markers that will be useful for selecting for heat-tolerant soybean genotypes. Identifying tightly linked molecular markers for stress tolerance is an important accomplishment in stress-tolerance research and a milestone in variety development projects.”

Soybeans typically are planted in the Southeast from May 10 to July 11 and harvested from Oct. 20 to Dec. 30. Some growers are adopting early-maturing varieties that are planted in April and harvested during the hottest parts of the summer. This is known as an Early Soybean Production System (ESPS). This system originated in Mississippi but has gained interest in other areas of the Southeast. However, with ESPS, high temperatures at harvest can cause problems with seed quality, wrinkled seed, decreased germination and so on, says Ben Fallen, a former Clemson soybean breeder and now a soybean breeder with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, who also is working on the project.

“Early maturing soybeans will not wait around to be harvested,” Fallen said. “Seed quality will go down in a hurry, especially if the weather doesn’t cooperate with harvest. Not only that, but seed production can be a problem with beans planted anytime during the typical planting window, if the plants are setting pods during the heat of the summer and there is no rain in sight, seed quantity and quality will be a problem.”

During the study, the researchers investigated whether lipid metabolic changes contribute to differences in heat stress responses in a heat-tolerant soybean variety and a heat-susceptible soybean variety. The heat-susceptible variety was developed for the ESPS in Mississippi.

“The lipid trait and related genes that contribute to heat tolerance in [heat-tolerant soybean] can be incorporated into other genotypes that can be grown in South Carolina,” Narayanan said. “This will be valuable for developing heat-tolerant soybean varieties adapted to our conditions”.

The researchers wanted to determine what changes take place in soybean leaves when subjected to high temperatures. They found a decline in fats that are undesirable for biodiesel and cooking oil as they reduce stability and keeping quality. On the other hand, high-fat soybeans have added value, primarily due to health benefits.

While the researchers consider this discovery as valuable for the soybean industry, they agree more research is needed.

“What we hope is that this translates to being able to develop more heat-tolerant soybean lines and as an added bonus, may also have an improved oil composition,” says Sachin Rustgi, a molecular breeder at the Clemson Pee Dee Research and Education Center, who also is part of the project team. “There is more to gain from knowing the whole picture, which is why it is so important to work together as a team of scientists, in multiple fields, to work towards sustainable agriculture.”

In addition to Narayanan, Fallen and Rustgi, other researchers include Zolian Zoong-Lwe, a graduate research assistant in the Clemson Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Nitant Gandhi of NCJ Diagnostics and DNA Technologies in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey; Ruth Welti of the Kansas Lipidomics Research Center at Kansas State University, and Rusty Smith of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Crop Genetics Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi.

Soybeans are a major crop grown in South Carolina. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 320,000 acres of soybeans were harvested in the state in 2019. A total of 363,000 acres of corn were harvested and 297,000 acres of cotton were harvested in South Carolina.

—Denise Attaway, Clemson University

Planting soybeans with cool weather on horizon

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RALEIGH, N.C. — We have had several questions in the past 24 hours about continuing to plant soybeans this week with cool weather on the horizon. If you want to get something done this week, planting soybeans is going to be a safer bet then planting cotton or transplanting tobacco.

The general consensus from colleagues in the Midwest is that we need sustained temperatures (>4 hours) at or below 28°F to kill emerging soybeans. A good summary of this information from the University of Wisconsin-Madison can be found here.

I talked to Dr. Shawn Conley, Soybean Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, last week and Shawn said that if soil temperatures are 45°F or above and no cool rain is in the forecast for the next couple days, they will recommend growers can get started planting soybeans. We are well above those soil temperatures across North Carolina, with average soil temperatures across the state currently in the low-to-mid 60’s.

What you do not want to do is plant in front of cool rain snap. Across most of the state there is limited rainfall, if any, forecasted for the next week.

Although unlikely this coming week, if you do see what you think might be freeze injury in your soybeans, here are some photos from Purdue University of what to look for. It is recommended that you wait for several days after the freeze injury occurs before you assess damage; this allows the soybeans an opportunity to recover before making decisions about replanting.

With temperatures cooler than normal, if you have the option to plant seed treated with a fungicide, our preliminary data suggest that would be merited.

Read more at: https://soybeans.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/05/planting-soybeans-with-cool-weather-on-the-horizon/

–Rachel Vann, N.C. State University