Planting Patrol: Illinois farmer offers tips for better double-crop soybeans
Raising multiple crops each season can provide a more intensive use of land, equipment and labor. It can also help maximize farm profits. Gary Berg, soy checkoff farmer-leader from St. Elmo, Illinois, grows soybeans, corn and wheat on his farm, and is once again taking on the double-crop challenge for soybeans.
Growing and harvesting two crops in one year increases total production without requiring additional acreage, which contributes to sustainability and profitability. However, production issues that are important for all soybeans, including planting date and weed management, are magnified in the shorter growing season for double-crop soybeans.
Planting double-crop soybeans
Much like full-season soybeans, the earlier double-crop soybeans are planted, the higher the yield potential. Berg is hopeful that he will be able to get his double-cropped soybeans in early this year.
“We’ve got 175 acres of wheat that we will hopefully plant double-crop soybeans in,” says Berg. “Most of the wheat around here looks pretty good and will probably be harvested a little earlier than normal, so that’s a good thing for the double-crop soybeans.”
In addition to planting earlier, narrow row spacing in double-crop soybeans can help the crop obtain complete ground cover sooner and capture more sunlight for a longer period of time. Berg uses 15-inch rows in his soybeans to give them an advantage.
Managing moisture conditions
In most areas, double cropping soybeans behind a small grain like wheat can result in too little moisture in the ground for soybeans. But Berg has the opposite problem with the wet conditions in his area.
“The biggest challenge in our area right now is too much moisture,” explains Berg. “If you have a lot of moisture, especially after planting, your chance of getting a good stand improves if you use treated seed.”
Berg has experienced great success with treated seed for both his double-crop soybeans and full-season soybeans. He uses seed treatments with fungicides to ensure the plants get a good stand in tough conditions and seed treatments with insecticides for extra protection against pests.
“I’m a firm believer in treated seed — we use treated seed on all of our soybean acres,” he says. “The biggest surprise last year was that we got pretty good stands after we had tremendous, pounding rains. I think if we had not used treated seed, we would have been replanting a lot of acres last year.”
Weed management
The additional residue left after a wheat harvest can help to control weeds in double-crop soybeans, but Berg is facing herbicide-resistant weed issues in his area.
“We’re trying out different soybean varieties to find a chemical that works on resistant waterhemp,” says Berg. “We’re also seeing resistant marestail, but waterhemp is the biggest problem in my area.”
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