Post

Soybean checkoff dollars hard at work

Did you know that soybean cyst nematode, the leading cause of disease-related soybean yield losses in Illinois, has been found in every county in the state? Did you know SCN is present in 80% of the soybean fields in the state? Did you know that SCN costs Illinois soybean farmers $150 to $200 million every year? Did you know that there is a research program underway, funded by soybean checkoff dollars, to help you better manage this yield robber?

Every year, the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board invites growers to participate in a research tour – all expenses paid. The first day of the tour is spent at the University of Illinois South Farms and the National Soybean Research Lab in Urbana. Participants travel by bus to Fairview Heights where they spend the night. The next morning, they visit the Southern Illinois University Belleville Research Center. For many years, I would take advantage of the U of I “leg” of the tour, but had not, until earlier this month, taken the opportunity to participate in the SIU “leg.” I’m so glad I did. You have some top-notch scientists working hard for you there, as well.

Jason Bond, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at Southern Illinois Univeristy at Carbondale is one of those heading up the soybean checkoff funded research on soybean cyst nematode. He told me the Illinois soybean checkoff invests $250 thousand for SCN research for the projects focusing specifically on Illinois production. There is also funding allocated for the North Central Soybean Research Program, which coordinates soybean production research efforts on a regional level. Illinois soybean checkoff dollars are also invested in research at the national level, through the United Soybean Board.

The entire Illinois SCN program is funded primarily through state checkoff dollars. Bond said one of the most important things they do is evaluate the various SCN resistant varieties for farmers. In a nutshell, they take the commercial varieties that you pay good money for, and evaluate them. This screening started 4 years ago and has grown to the point where they now screen 630 lines. Bond said, “Farmers are paying for this resistance, so we are evaluating to see if producers are actually getting resistance that they are paying for.”

SCN has been in the state for years. Bond said, “It’s not whether or not they have the nematode, it is a matter of how virilent the populations; how severe is the infestation.” The best way to manage SCN is by using resistant varieties, and Bond says that will probably be the case for the forseeable future.

Another part of this research includes looking at the impact of SCN on other diseases. Bond said, “We know that nematode can exacerbate the damage we see with these other pathogens. That’s another important aspect of this research project.”

There are many other “managed research areas” funded by your soybean checkoff dollars underway at both U of I and SIU. Weeds, germplasm and breeding, plant pathology and entomology, sudden death syndrome, soyfoods, and new soybean diseases, just to name a few.

Research can be a real yawner, and quite frankly, sometimes it seems that a whole lot of money is invested before you begin to see results. As a journalist, I believe there is almost always more than than one or two sides to every story. Quite frankly, I cannot find a downside to the investment you as a soybean grower are making in this ongoing research. The enthusiasm of John Russin, Associate Dean at SIU College of Agriculture, when talking to farmers about the work being done for them, is absolutely contagious. And perhaps of greatest significance is the desire he and his team share in working with and for the farmers in Illinois. They want your input. Over the past few years, the research management by the Illinois Soybean Board has changed so there is more direct farmer involvement. University researchers in Illinois work closely with the farmers, so those ultimately using the fruits of the research are an intregal part of setting the research priorities.

Soybean checkoff funded research allows farmers to be proactive and competitive. Lyle Roberts, Executive Vice President for the Illinois Soybean Board and Association, says that because change is certain, almost half of Illinois’ soybean checkoff dollars are invested in research. Roberts said, “If Illinois farmers want to be the first to adapt all of these new technologies coming out, and make that work for their profitability, we have to have universities and Extension engaged to make sure we get the informaton out to the farmers, and that we compare it in a transparent way so our farmers can make good choices.”

Although it is difficult to measure a return on investment, Roberts says the benefit of this research to farmers runs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He says the transparent, comparative information is a valuable tool for Illinois growers.

For any industry to stay competitive, you must stay on the cutting edge by preparing for what might happen. Roberts said, “We have great farmers. They can take the research information and use it, but you have to have it in a format that is easily sortable and anticipates what is coming down the road to keep them out front, working against that.”

The information that comes from this research is made available to farmers in a Varietal Information Program for Soybeans handbook, available from the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board. You can also view this information on line at www.soybeans.org.