Soybean Farmers, Your Help Is Needed!

 

If you grow soybean your help is needed. We are asking for yields and management information that is used for your soybean fields. The goal behind this project identify key factors that prohibit soybean farmers from obtaining yields that are potentially attainable on their respective farms. Or put another way, what are management practices, field characteristics, or climate factors associated low and high yielding fields. This will help identify key management practices that should be used to improve overall productivity. In addition to identifying the soybean yield gap, this project will identify research gaps that have the potential to increase yields through further understanding of high yield environments.

 

A preliminary summary of the 2014 and 2015 field data collection includes 3,386 fields across the Midwest. Iowa farmers contributed 369 fields for 2014 and 430 fields for 2015. Our goal is to have 500 fields for 2016.

 

How can you help? Completing a hardcopy (pdf) or electronic survey of 2016 soybean yield and management practices by March 1, 2017. Field information will be kept confidential. Location of fields are necessary to collect additional information related to soil characteristics and climate factors. Names and contact information will only be used to follow up to collect missing information and with project results. 

 

The “Soybean Yield Benchmarking Project” is a collaborative effort between Iowa State University, Iowa Soybean Association, and is funded by soybean checkoff funds through the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP). For more information contact Mark Licht or Daren Mueller.