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Agronomist says soybeans thrive with more intense management

A soybean agronomist says farmers need to be more intentional about managing soybeans as they face tighter margins.

Purdue University’s Shaun Casteel tells Brownfield the days of planting soybeans whenever are over. “If it hasn’t, I think people should be seeing these gains that we have with intentional management with timely planting,” he says.  “How many of our growers are planting soybeans first? A good majority and the reason being is that they’ve seen the yield gains that come with that.”

He says it does take more time, but it makes a difference.  “You have to be intentional,” he says.  “From having a good seed treatment to thinking about other herbicide resistance issues and weed control. But I think having a plan can really make a large difference to profit as well as production on the soybean front.”

Casteel says his research shows that sulfur is a key nutrient for higher yields in early-planted soybeans.

AUDIO: Shaun Casteel, Purdue University Extension soybean agronomist