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Tri-State Soybean Forum Highlights Outlook For Soybeans

Producers in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi may see record soybean yields across the region in 2018, said LSU AgCenter associate vice president and plant science program leader Rogers Leonard at the 62nd annual Tri-State Soybean Forum.
 
The region produces over seven million acres of soybeans and accounts for more than just “a drop in the bucket” as the commodity value and technologies available to increase profits continue to improve each year, Leonard said.
 
The tri-state meeting was held at the Thomas Jason Lingo Community Center in Oak Grove Jan. 5 and drew more than 125 producers and industry representatives. Meeting topics included soil fertility, variety resistance, soil and insect pathogens, and an economic outlook.
 
The Louisiana Soybean and Feed Grains Promotion Board and numerous industry and business donors sponsored the annual meeting, which rotates among Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi each year.
 
AgCenter county agent R.L. Frazier, who coordinated the event, said the forum brings researchers and specialists from the cooperating universities together to provide the latest research updates and recommendations affecting soybean production and practices.
 
University of Arkansas plant pathologist Terry Spurlock provided the latest information on tap root decline, a newly described disease that has become more prevalent since 2014, most notably in Mississippi and Louisiana.
 
Initially misidentified as black root rot, tap root decline is caused by a fungus.
 
“We don’t know yet if it is producing a toxin like sudden death syndrome or if it is a nutritional response or combination of the two, but we do know it is not a seed-borne disease,” Spurlock said.
 
Tap root decline behaves like a soil-borne disease and has caused some substantial yield losses since 2015, he said.
 
Growers may get some help from Mother Nature in controlling the redbanded stink bug, considered the most damaging stink bug in soybeans, said LSU AgCenter research entomologist Jeff Davis.
 
“For lethal exposure, all we need is nine hours at 23 degrees Fahrenheit to kill 90 percent of the population, and we have had that,” Davis said.
 
Because no soybean varieties are immune to stink bugs, Davis recommends planting less-susceptible varieties, scouting fields early and often until harvest, and using multiple insecticide applications as populations reach threshold to maintain stink bug control.
 
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AJ Armstrong Takes the Helm as Manitoba Seed Growers President

Video: AJ Armstrong Takes the Helm as Manitoba Seed Growers President

The Manitoba Seed Growers Association (MSGA) held its first annual SeedLink Conference in Brandon last week, where a new president was appointed to take the helm of the organization.

A.J. Armstrong of Armstrong Seeds in Boissevain took the gavel from Past-President Tom Greaves. In a sit-down interview, Armstrong shared insights into his personal journey within the seed industry. Born into a family deeply rooted in seed cultivation, he took the reins of the family business in 2003, building on a legacy initiated by his father in 1980.

Regulatory modernization emerged as a significant focus of the conversation. While acknowledging the complexities of the process, Armstrong expressed optimism about the potential benefits for seed growers once the regulatory framework is finalized.

Discussing the dynamics of working with family in a business setting, he stressed the importance of open communication.

Operating with a streamlined team that includes his mom as the bookkeeper, his father as the “gopher” handling specific tasks, and a dedicated employee for day-to-day operations, the Armstrong family has successfully navigated the intricate balance of personal and professional relationships.

Open discussions about roles, responsibilities, and business plans contribute significantly to the smooth functioning of a family-operated seed business,” he said.

SeedLink is a new event; the decision to explore a return to a two-day annual meeting format sparked enthusiasm among industry partners, including key players and sponsors like SeCan, FP Genetics, Canterra Seeds, and numerous others.