How to Manage High-Yield Soybeans

Soybean Farming

• 1

  Purchase high-yielding varieties of soybeans that can handle changing environmental stresses. Ask seed producers about specific agronomic traits.

• 2

  Plant seed with a tiller in rows less than 30 inches apart to improve light penetration and growth. Plant early during the spring season, such as in April in most Midwest locations.

• 3

  Manage soybean pathogens by rotating soybeans with non-host crops, such as corn, each year.

• 4

  Fertilize soil with 60 lbs. of phosphate fertilizer per acre, once in spring and again in fall.

• 5

  Harvest crops between 45 to 65 days after sowing, or at maturity.

Pest Control

• 6

  Spray selective herbicides at the beginning of each growing season to promote canopy development and fight weed competition.

• 7

  Scout weekly for insect threats, such as leaf beetles and soybean aphids.

• 8

  Introduce insecticide to remove insect pests that might be damaging crop yield.