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Southeast Minnesota soybean grower avoids white mold issues

A soybean grower in southeast Minnesota says he dodged the bullet with white mold this year.

Keith Schrader farms near Dennison and estimates 95 percent of the beans in his area have been harvested.

White mold was a problem across the state, but Schrader says he lucked out with variety selection.

“It turns out the varieties that we planted were ones that had a known tolerance to white mold.  We’ve always had a problem (with white mold).  So that was probably part of it.”

He tells Brownfield crop rotation was another key.

“The other part is we normally raise about 80 percent corn, so we don’t have soybeans as often in the rotation.  So I don’t think we have as much trouble with inoculant in the soil.”

While white mold did appear in a few patches, Schrader says it didn’t seem to effect soybean yields.