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Wisconsin soybean program researching earlier-maturing varieties for upcoming wet spring

A soybean researcher says growers might want to choose 2020 seeds carefully knowing soils are wet and there’s a lot of unfinished fieldwork to do in the spring.  Shawn Conley with the University of Wisconsin tells Brownfield they’re preparing a list of earlier-maturing soybean options with comparable yields knowing planting dates might get bumped back a couple of weeks. Conley says, “We’re actually doing a pretty in-depth data analysis right now looking at the response of planting date and maturity group. Given the short windows we have to get crops in and out, we’re going to come out with a, in the spring, a new analysis to really kind of help farmers pinpoint (their options.)

Conley says the Wisconsin spreadsheet will be available online, and for farmers around the country, he recommends talking to the seed representative to find out what is available one maturity group earlier. “Within a company profile, they should have some options available for you. Within every company profile, they have an early bean that’s a high-yielder that they would like to position, so you might want to get those seed decisions made early to make sure you get access to that seed.”

Conley says his advice to farmers is to be patient when spring arrives because planting when the soil isn’t fit will cause compaction and other damage, which will hurt the crop all season long.

When the Wisconsin soybean recommendations are compiled, they will be posted at the University of Wisconsin Extension soybean website, https://coolbean.info/