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Production Research Action Team seeking RFPs

The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) is now accepting research-project proposals for fiscal year 2025. The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit pre-proposals from various investigators and collaborators to help enhance environmental stewardship and increase the production profitability of Minnesota soybean producers. To submit a proposal for checkoff-funding consideration, email the cover sheet, full project proposal and budget template to projects@mnsoybean.com by 5 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2024.  

The Council is seeking projects in the following areas: 

  • Soybean pest management 
  • Agronomic research and technology transfer 
  • Soybean breeding, molecular genetics and functional genomics 

Tasked with wisely directing Minnesota soybean checkoff investments, MSR&PC invests in three core areas: research, education and promotion. The RFP process is a critical component to ensure that checkoff investments represent and address the myriad difficulties and opportunities for Minnesota soybean growers. 

“For these proposals, we tend to see everything from cutting-edge soybean breeding genetic research that might be 10 years down the road to nutrient management surveys to research projects that address weed management,” said David Kee, MSR&PC director of research. 

 Successful research proposals will increase profitability to Minnesota soybean farmers, while promoting, educating and increasing awareness of the state’s nearly 26,000 soybean farmers and the importance of soybeans and soybean products to industry, influencers and consumers.

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Trending Video

Supplemental Nitrogen on Soybeans: Can Early Nitrogen Increase Yield?

Video: Supplemental Nitrogen on Soybeans: Can Early Nitrogen Increase Yield?

Can supplemental nitrogen help soybeans reach higher yield potential? Technical Agronomist Tim Sickman walks through an ongoing trial at the Nutrien Innovation Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky, exploring whether a modest amount of nitrogen applied at planting can support higher-yielding soybean environments.

The trial compares 30 pounds of supplemental nitrogen across both 15- and 30-inch rows, along with treatments that include sulfur and micronutrients. Similar trials conducted in 2024 and 2025 delivered a six- to seven-bushel yield response, prompting the team to expand the research this season.

Early observations show that treated soybeans are slightly taller and averaging about two additional nodes on the main stem. These added nodes could create more opportunities for blooms and pods, but the true results will come at harvest when the team evaluates pod development, seed fill and final yield.

In This Video:

Why high-yield soybeans may need supplemental nitrogen

Results from the 2024 and 2025 trials

Nitrogen treatments in 15- and 30-inch rows

Fertilizer placement and application methods

Differences in plant height and node counts

Potential effects on pod development and yield