Growing Soybeans Issue 12 by Thoughtwell Creative

For Western Canadian Soybean Growers

Issue 12 / Winter 2015

NSC Richer RR2Y Never has a name meant so much. Our NSC Richer RR2Y is the test-plot proven highest yielder. You get a mid-season bean and wide rows, not to mention...a bit richer. At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans! www.weknowbeans.com

© NorthStar Genetics 2014 ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup WeatherMAX®, and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada, Inc. licensee. Respect the Refuge and Design is a registered trademark of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. Used under license. ©2012 Monsanto Canada, Inc.

Table of Contents Publisher Ray Wytinck NorthStar Genetics Editor Jenny Flaman jenny@impactgr.com

Winter Planning pg 3 Farming in the Information Age pg 4

Art Director Kate Klassen kate@impactgr.com Copy Editors Chantelle Andrukow Heidi Brown Vicki Manness Contributors Cheryl Manness Andrea Hilderman Ron Friesen John Dietz Bruce Barker Matt Owens Sarah Foster Photographers Anita Anseeuw

Printed by Transcontinental Imaging For another copy of Growing Soybeans call 204-262-2424 or e-mail kperfumo@northstargenetics.com For a digital copy visit weknowbeans.com

Beyond Your Soybean Variety pg 7 The Right Soybean Variety for You! pg 10 Everything you Need to Know About Flex Headers pg 12 The Safe Storage and Handling of Soybeans pg 16 Time to Trade Up for a Better Model? pg 20 Total Nutrition for Your Soybeans pg 22 Soybeans Host to Two-Spotted Spider Mite pg 26 Fosterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Focus pg 31

Unconditional

NSC Vito RR2Y

The soybean that can excel in tough conditions.

NSC Vito RR2Y is a tall-standing variety that pods early and high. This means you are going to harvest every pod even if you have rolling land, uneven surfaces, or rocks. You name it, this variety will handle it. At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans! www.weknowbeans.com

Winter Planning

eather is a topic on the front of many minds as we go into this winter. As one of the most important and game-changing elements in agriculture, could the erratic weather patterns we’ve been seeing change the face of Western Canadian agriculture?

The next step in planning is variety selection. We’ve put a little bit of focus on variety matters in this issue highlighting the things to consider during selection. We’ve also investigated a soybean crop that didn’t turn out as planned and was blamed on the variety, and other potential causes of its less than ideal result.

Last winter brought the “Polar Vortex” with record-breaking low temperatures and high snow levels in many parts of North America, and this summer brought some record high temperatures but torrential rains and flooding in many areas and a crazy September snowfall in Alberta. Which leaves us wondering, what will we see this year?

Winter is a great time to consider your equipment and storage and potentially upgrading, so we’ve looked into some things you might want to consider. Flex headers are an important tool for harvesting your full soybean crop with minimum loss, and there are some new options on the market to consider.

As one of the only things that you can’t plan for in your growing season, how can you prepare for unpredictable weather? Maybe you can’t, but soybeans may be a safer bet than other common Western Canadian crops. I heard a comment from a new soybean grower this year, Chris Dzisiak, from the Dauphin area. “It’s a good thing I planted soybeans!” he said. Why? Because out of all of the other crops he could have planted, soybeans perform the best in wet conditions. It’s just another reason why soybeans are growing in popularity and acres in Western Canada every year.

It’s also good to plan ahead for your inputs, and they could include more this year than last year to produce a high-performing soybean crop. With some insights from Jarrett Chambers of ATP Nutrition, there are some micronutrient options you might want to consider this year. As always we welcome your input and inquiries about soybeans. Feel free to contact me with anything you would like to see in an issue of Growing Soybeans, but for now, snuggle up by the fire and enjoy this winter issue.

Farming in the Information Age By Matt Owens

Does today’s buzz about Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, blogging, and other social networks really matter to agriculture and food? Social media has been a culture changer. It has been adopted at record pace, and there are now more Facebook users than cars (1.1 billion vs. 750 million). Twitter has 241 million monthly active users. Over 500 million Tweets are sent each day. Twitter has become the fastest growing social network in the world with the fastest growing age demographic being the 55 to 64 year-olds. This social world is becoming tremendously vast and overwhelming. So, why should people who are interested in farming care about social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? It’s really quite simple: “Mass Influence.” You may not agree with our social media-dominated world, but 57 percent of people talk more online than they do in real life.

industry that is available through social media, and we want to be active, share our opinions, and pass information on to our growers. By staying connected and actively participating in the discussions around agriculture and food production through means of sharing best practices, ideas, rural photos, videos, tweets, and talking about farming, it will help grow the voice of the minority that we are and put an end to the misinformation regarding our efforts to produce the crops needed to feed the world.

The topics of food production, biotechnology, and GMO are extremely hot issues – and it’s time for people with firsthand experience to influence that through social media to impact public opinion. Anti-agriculture activist groups are becoming increasingly active on social networks. These groups are impacting opinions about food as well as whom and what is involved between the farm gate and consumption. Only a tiny percentage of the population (1.5 percent) lives on a farm and is part of primary food production, so how can we expect the remaining 98.5 percent to understand the origins of food, todays practices, or what is really happening to get their food to the table? I urge farmers to tell their stories and take part in discussions through social media and everyday conversation, and to correct mistaken beliefs about food production perceived by the media and those who are uneducated about our industry. Know that if you don’t have a place in the discussion, misinformation from these anti-agriculture activist groups will serve as your voice in the conversation. NOW is the time to engage in the discussion or accept that others without firsthand expertise will be glad to speak for you. What should you do to talk about food and farming in our social world? It’s not as complicated as you might think; invest a few minutes a day for a few weeks and you’ll be surprised at the connections you make. There are many social networking communities built around food and agriculture issues that you can engage in. At Emerge Ag Solutions we spent last winter working on a platform to engage in social media networks and stay connected to our growers. There is a vast amount of knowledge, experience, and information within this

Whether we like it or not, social networks are not a fad we can wish away. They are here to stay, and they are impacting public opinion about food production. These tools influence significant change. There is a huge opportunity for agriculture to get online and be involved in building a connection between food production and consumption.

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Beyond Your Soybean Variety By Cheryl Manness Varieties can often take the blame for the lack of success a soybean crop experiences in a season, but it’s important to look beyond the variety to other factors and potentially give your variety another chance. Managing risk in crop production is more critical than ever as production costs continue to rise. Choosing the right variety for your growing needs is very important, but if that crop fails, is it really the fault of the variety? “I think that there are many factors that can play into whether a crop performs or not,” says Tom Greaves, General Manager of Pitura Seeds in Manitoba. “Most times the first thing that comes to a producer’s mind is variety and while this is a big factor in performance, it is also important to note all the other issues that can make or break a crop.” Greaves went on to say, “When we are investigating a variety complaint we ask the producer questions about their crop until all other factors have been identified and addressed.” “If no items can be identified through discussions, then a crop visit may be required as some factors can be determined visually when inspecting a crop.” Greaves supplied these factors as important in evaluating whether the variety is at fault or if other diseases, insects, or environmental conditions have caused the poor results. With information from Manitoba Agriculture’s “Soybean Production and Management”; the Government of Saskatchewan’s “Soybean Production in Saskatchewan”; and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs’ “Soybeans: Planting and Crop Development”, here are some factors that can affect your variety’s performance.

Seeding Conditions It’s good to start with the seeding conditions at the time of planting. Check the seeding date, soil temperature at seeding, soil compaction, and seeding depth for the crop. Each one of these factors can negatively affect the optimum yield of the crop. Temperature is a main limiting factor, particularly the soil temperature. Planting should be delayed until the soil has warmed to at least 10 degrees Celsius. Soil compaction can lead to planting and emergence problems, which would also lead to yield losses. Soybeans are sensitive to deep seeding, which results in poor emergence and the increased risk of soilborne diseases. Late planting will reduce the number of pods per plant due to a shorter

flowering period and it will have an effect on the duration of the pod-filling period. Seeding at a higher speed may cause variable seed depth placement due to bouncing and if seeding with wide sweeps, some of the seed placed near the tips of the sweeps may have been seeded shallower.

Seeding Rate and Row Spacing Different soybean varieties will require different row spacing and seeding rates. Understanding the effects of both the planting method and the seeding rate is important in determining causes of crop failure or non-performance through the effects of environmental factors. 7

Environmental Factors

Seed Care Products

Crop Rotation

What was the weather leading up to seeding? What was the weather after seeding? What was the weather throughout the growing season?

Did you use any inoculants and seed treatments, what brand, and how much? Is it possible the inoculant died before application?

What is the history of the field? Are you growing beans on beans?

A hard spring frost can kill soybeans since the growing point of the emerged seedling is above the soil surface. However, they can also survive a short, light frost but with possible yield implications.

When soybeans are grown on land for the first time, inoculation with soybean rhizobia is essential for high yields. Properly inoculated soybeans will fix the majority of their nitrogen requirements.

An inch of rain at filling can make a huge difference in yield, as will an overly dry period. Soybeans are a heat-loving crop. They can tolerate an early-season frost but will be delayed and affected by it. A late-season frost will also affect the yield depending on the maturity of the pods at the time.

Soybean seed treatments have been shown to increase plant stand, enhance early season vigor and can be an important tool in reaching optimum yields. Not using a seed treatment may cause the seeds to struggle to become established and vulnerable to disease and pests.

Field cropping history is important especially for possible herbicide carryover residues. Soybeans are sensitive to soil residues of several different herbicides.

Compaction Do you have compaction in the field? What kind of tillage are you using? Some compaction of the soil is good for soybeans. Rolling fields after planting will improve soil-to-seed contact and conserve moisture in a dry spring. However, it also increases the chance of soil crusting, which hinders plant emergence if rolled prior to seedling emergence. Excessive soil compaction can impede root growth as well, and limit the amount of soil explored by the roots thereby decreasing the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to take up nutrients and water.

Fertility

Disease

Harvest

Is there too much nitrogen in the soil? Has the field been soil tested? Is there a proper fertility management plan in place?

What disease pressure was present? Was there white mould, iron chlorosis, or other diseases present? How was the disease presence handled?

How was the equipment set? What type of equipment was used? Did you use a straight header or a flex header?

Nitrogen is usually not recommended for soybeans. Phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur are recommended on soybeans depending on the specific soil tests for each field.

Weeds Was there pressure from weeds? What herbicide was used? What rate was the herbicide sprayed at? Were there interaction issues with the spray used and the crop? Early season weed control is imperative to reduce yield loss from weed competition. A wide range of herbicides are registered for use in soybeans, in particular glyphosate for Roundup Ready varieties.

Soybeans are prone to iron chlorosis, which will cause inter-veinal yellowing of the leaves and severely limits growth of the plant. It will occur on the trifoliate leaves beginning as early as the first trifoliate stage. In the field, the symptoms will occur in spots and usually in a random pattern depending on the soil differences across the area. Root rot in soybeans can be caused by a few different pathogens resulting in considerable yield loss. Sclerotinia may infect soybeans, especially in a wet year. Closely spaced plants that form a canopy early in the season can be at increased risk. Powdery mildew may also be a problem in cooler years.

Seed damage can be high when soybeans are harvested at less than 12 percent moisture as well as in overly dry conditions. Losses of four beans per square foot equate to one bushel per acre. Straight combining is the preferred method for soybean harvest. Swathing can be used but should be immediately combined to avoid damage from precipitation. Using an improper cutterbar can also produce harvest losses under dry conditions along with the cylinder speed and concave settings. It is very important to fully understand the stressors and complete a full assessment of the factors that may have contributed to a decline in seed set and fill and a disappointing yield. It is true that a good growing season starts with choosing a variety that has the proper fit for your area, the best possible maturity and heat unit ratings as well as added disease resistance. “Sometimes the difference between a good crop and a poor crop is not just one thing,” says Greaves. “Attention to detail on all these factors, plus a little luck can be the 9 key to a successful crop.”

The Right Soybean Variety for You! By Andrea Hilderman

It hardly seems like it could be time to be considering crop rotation and variety selection strategies, but this is the best time to start these deliberations. With the combine back in storage and the crop safely in the bin, the work for 2015 begins in earnest.

As with any crop, the key to selecting a soybean variety is to choose one that meets the specific conditions you have in your growing region. A great many criteria play into this decision, but those can be broken down in a way that assists in determining the best variety selections for your operation. “Growers are always looking to find the best soybean variety to grow,” says Dennis Lange, Farm Production Advisor - Crops with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. “There is a number of factors a grower has to consider when determining what is the most suitable variety for his operation.” One of the most important considerations is maturity groupings. Soybean development and maturity is affected by heat unit accumulation, day length, and hours of sunshine. “In the Red River Valley area in eastern Manitoba, shorter season varieties will have lower yield potential than the longer season types,” says Lange. “However, that said, if a grower is seeding a lot of soybean acres and has the flexibility to seed long-season and mid-season varieties, that will spread the workload and risk.” Conversely, those growers further west in Manitoba and into Saskatchewan need to be looking to short-season varieties, primarily. Claude Durand, Product Development Manager at NorthStar Genetics agrees with Lange. “Knowing your zone and heat units is the first critical step towards choosing the

right varieties for your geography,” says Durand. “The plant has to be able to fully mature to have a chance at meeting its full yield potential.” Type of equipment can also dictate whether to choose a so-called “stick” variety or a bushy or semi-bushy type. “If row spacing is 10 inches or less, I usually advise going with a stick variety, which are generally earlier than the semi-bushy or bushy types,” says Durand. “If the row spacing is 12 to 15 inches, a semi-bushy type will work and with row spacing in the 20- to 30-inch range, choose a bushy type. The key here is to get the canopy filled in as fast as possible to minimize weed competition.” Seeding rate plays a role in pod height to some extent. “At higher seeding rates, my experience is the beans grow a little taller,” says Lange. “Seeding 180,000 to 210,000 seeds per acre and ending up with 140,000 to 170,000 plants per acre is a good range.” Height of plants is generally increased by growing soybeans in narrow rows or by higher plant populations within the row. Additionally, Lange notes that seeding beans into warm soil will speed up germination and produce a healthier, taller crop right out of the gate. If the right variety is selected and matures, the challenge at harvest is to get all the pods through the combine. “If heat and moisture are adequate, there is usually no problem with the pods being high enough

to be harvestable,” says Lange. “However, a nice, level seedbed that has been rolled will greatly facilitate getting those lower pods and getting more beans in the combine. This is particularly important if you farm on stonier land.” While not every grower has a high-end flex header or an air reel or could justify owning one, the equipment is there that can be set low enough to the ground to get the lowermost pods. Although most varieties can have decent pod height if seeded properly and in good conditions, an interesting new development in soybean varieties are those that seem to have higher pod heights. “New varieties like NSC Vito RR2Y and NSC Tilston RR2Y appear to be very vigorous varieties in the spring,” says Durand. “As well, they have very long internodes, which gives them better height, keeping those lower-most pods further off the ground.” Being able to get the bottom-most pods easily speeds up harvest. “An additional four seeds per square foot that ends up in the combine and not in the ground adds up,” says Durand. “Four seeds is only one pod per square foot, but that adds up to a bushel per acre. That will go a long way toward paying for a flex header to do an even better job of harvesting the soybean crop.”

Everything You Need to Know About Flex Headers By John Dietz

Have there been new advances in headers? What are some maintenance and tune-up tips and tricks? Above is the MacDon FD75 Flex Header Right is the John Deere HydraFlex Draper

Flex headers have been the header-ofchoice for Manitoba soybean grower Harvey Chorney from his first crop of the low-hanging bean. In fact, he’s moved on to his second flex header. He’s not alone. Online, at www.ironsearch.com the search for “harvest” and “flex” turns up the names of 10 manufacturers. It gives a good quick overview of the flex header market, with numbers of listings following each name. Chorney’s choice speaks volumes. “We’ve been doing a soybean harvest for about 10 years. We bought a 25-foot flex header for our IH combine the first year we did that. We’ve since upgraded to a newer Deere. We’re operating it with a 36-foot flex header and an after-market air reel,” Chorney says. When he isn’t working with his brother Brian at the family farm northeast of East Selkirk, Chorney is at the vice-president’s desk in Portage la Prairie for the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI). PAMI isn’t evaluating flex headers these days, so he can’t offer definitive product comparisons. But as an ag engineer for more than 30 years and as a lifelong farmer, he can talk about his own experience and preferences.

His first flex header choice was really a conventional auger header with a flexible cutterbar. It had an auto-height adjustment capability. It followed field contours, adjusting to imperfections, to get the lowest possible cutting height. The wider and newer John Deere flex header is similar but also will pivot in the centre. “It’s got an oscillation from side to side to help follow the contour a little better. “The flexible cutterbar with drapers is relatively new. They’ve been available for three or four years,” he explains. If the first flex header, or a new flex header, is on your wish list for 2015, Chorney says there are a few more options – but not a lot – from what the Chorney family farm uses. One, emerging about the same time that Chorney was growing his first soybeans, came from Manitoba’s MacDon Industries. MacDon introduced the first draper headers with a choice of flexible or rigid cutterbar. “The original draper headers had solid cutterbar sections that were 10 to 15 feet wide, in front of the auger. They operate with the same kind of flexibility as the auger with a flex header. The other benefit is that, when draper headers are feeding the combine, the material flows in more evenly,” Chorney says. MacDon Industries recently updated the original design. New “5 Series” drapers are intended to provide consistent headfirst feeding into combines, even in challenging harvest conditions. The new FD75 FlexDraper has a fixed cutterbar to reel relationship, keeping a small gap at all times between the reel fingers and the cutterbar. John Deere and CNH are offering updates as well, Chorney says. HoneyBee, however, has the newest flex header that Chorney has observed. It was on display in June 2014 in Regina. “It has full flexibility on the cutterbar with the draper feature in the back. You’ll be able to follow the contour of the ground very closely,” he says. “I’m hoping to see it operate yet this fall.”

Honey Bee AirFLEX

Honey Bee buzz The Honey brothers, Greg and Glenn, decided to build a new flex header for soybeans about five years ago, says Glenn Honey. Their company in Frontier, Saskatchewan already had a flex header that performed quite well on peas and lentils in their region. This time, they focused on a product for the very large North American soybean market. The typical problem arises with a combination of cutting soybeans right on the ground, in notill conditions with some trash on the ground, and wet field conditions. “It gets muddy, your combine starts to push, and pretty soon it’s not cutting. Then you have to stop, raise your header and clear it off before you can go again,” Glenn Honey says. The final product, developed by Glenn Honey, has several innovations over the previous flex header. It’s called the Honey Bee AirFLEX draper header. “We lightened it by using airbags to provide air suspension on the cutterbar,” he says. “An on-board air supply can vary our air pressure with the push of a button. Where it’s really tough going and really wanting to push, you put a little more air in the system to lighten the cutterbar even more.” Honey found a way to connect the table and 14

cutterbar with torsionally flexible members that he calls paddles. When part of the cutterbar pushes up, the paddle twists while rising to improve flotation. The AirFLEX design keeps the cutterbar totally independent from the draper.

as well as soybeans,” Honey says. “It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than a rigid table.” Finally, for the Class 9 combine market or larger, the AirFLEX draper header also happens to be offered at up to 50 feet in width – the widest on the market.

“To us, that’s the way to go, especially in really tough conditions. The cutterbar maintains its lightness no matter how much crop is on the draper,” he says.

Pointers

Honey reduced the cutterbar profile but also attached steel two-foot “feather-plates.” While the cutterbar flexes as much as nine inches, the feather plates follow the profile of the draper deck.

Ability of the cutterbar to follow ground contour is very significant, especially for growing soybeans. “The first pods formed are very close to the ground, and they are the most significant,” he says.

“You’ve got to be able to cut really short. Basically our guards are right on the ground. We cut so short that we can see the lines on the bottom… In the U.S. testing, we found that a one-inch difference in cutting height can give you a significant yield difference,” he says.

Go wider than you need because it will force you to go slower. “If you exceed the speed the sickles can cut, by going a little fast, you will have a peeling effect. You can leave the bottom couple inches of stalk and lose the bottom pods.”

Other changes include a centred knife driver with a synchronized opposing-motion knife system to reduce vibration and an allmechanical drive. The table goes from flex to rigid with the touch of a button. It also has an auto-header height control. “It works pretty good in lentils and peas,

Chorney offers these further pointers for flex head hunters:

Roll all your beans in spring after planting. “You want a very even topography for your header to float on. The work you do in spring will help you at harvest.” Talk to your neighbours who already use the flex header you are considering. “If you find people have used it one season and then put it out for sale, that’s a red flag,” Chorney says.

INOCULANTS MAY SEEM EQUAL NOW. IT’S A DIFFERENT STORY AT HARVEST TIME.

There’s a reason growers insist on it – Nodulator® N/T is the only inoculant in the market that’s Biostacked®. Unlike other offerings, a Biostacked inoculant delivers multiple beneficial biologicals to enhance the performance of soybeans. Nodulator N/T helps increase root biomass, create more nodules and improve nitrogen fixation. Of course at the end of the day, all you have to know is what it does for your bottom line. Nodulator N/T out-yields non-Biostacked inoculants by 4-6%. So why settle for less? Visit agsolutions.ca or contact AgSolutions® Customer Care at 1-877-371-BASF (2273) for more information.

Always read and follow label directions. AgSolutions, and BIOSTACKED are registered trade-marks of BASF Corporation; NODULATOR is a registered trade-mark of BASF, all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. © 2014 BASF Canada Inc.

The Safe Storage and Handling of Soybeans By Bruce Barker

Tips for getting your crop from the combine to the bin to the grain processor.

Every harvest year is different, but during late harvests, safely getting the crop into storage and conditioned properly is critical to maintaining seed quality and value. “When things go right, harvest is pretty straightforward. Take soybeans off dry, handle them gently, and store them well. The last few years have been pretty easy, but this year might be a different story,” says Dennis Lange, Farm Production Advisor with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Altona, Manitoba. Typically, soybeans are best stored at 13 percent moisture or less, and the last two harvests have allowed farmers to easily take the crop off below that level. In 2012, most of the soybeans came off at 8 to 10 percent moisture and in 2013 most of the soybeans came off at 12 to 13 percent. The harvest of 2014, though, undoubtedly presented some challenges. Combining can take place when seed moisture is below 20 percent, but the soybeans will need drying to safely store them. Below 10 to 12 percent moisture at harvest, and seed damage and harvest losses will grow.

Handle with care For seed production, many seed growers

harvest at 15 percent and then dry the crop down. This helps to avoid cracking the seed coat, which can impact seed viability. For soybeans grown for seed, most producers use belt conveyors. Standard augers with flighting can grind and crack the grain, although augers can move grain faster and to greater heights. Meridian Manufacturing is one company that sells belt conveyors. Their patented cross cleat belt augers can move 3,500 bushels per hour of soybeans with a 65-foot conveyor operating at 400 feet per minute at a 38-degree conveyor angle. For loading out of bins, a 35-foot conveyor operating at 400 feet per minute can move 6,100 bushels of soybeans per hour when filling a truck. By contrast, Meridian’s 14-inch auger can move up to 16,000 bushels per hour of grain. If growers are producing soybeans for the commercial market, standard grain augers are suitable, although if the seed is very dry, reducing the auger speed will help minimize splits and dockage.

Dealing with wet, immature, and green soybeans If late planting or fall frosts caused problems with maturity and seed quality, soybean growers could encounter several problems in storing their soybeans. Where fields were

uneven and low spots remained green at harvest, there may be a mixture of mature and green seeds in the sample. A killing frost of around -2 degrees C can mean the seeds wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mature, and result in green seed. Green seed means more expense for processors, as it can turn the oil green and reduce the shelf life of the oil.

Soybeans harvested at less than 18 to 20 percent might be salvageable, and drying is an option. Soybean seeds are large with lots of air space between them, so natural air drying or supplemental heat drying can be easily accomplished. Drying soybeans with natural aeration can be successful, but the speed of dry down depends on the

Samples can tolerate 2 percent green or damaged seed before quality discounts are applied. A seed is considered green if you cut it in half and it is green all the way through. If it has a yellow halo and the green colour is just on the seed coat, then it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally be considered green, and the seed may still turn yellow in the bin.

If using artificial heat in grain dryers, temperatures should be kept between 38 and 49 degrees C for seed soybeans to help minimize cracking and reduce germination concerns. For the commercial crush market, temperatures can be run at between 54 to 66 degrees C.

Monitor bins over the winter

If a field was harvested with primarily wet, mature soybeans but with some large, fat green soybeans mixed in from low spots or late maturing sections of a field, the greens may interfere with moisture meter readings and actually result in a lower moisture reading. Recommendations from North Dakota State University indicate that approximately 1.5 percent should be added to the moisture reading to get a more accurate reading. Making this adjustment will help ensure the soybeans are safely stored at the correct moisture reading. On fields that were physiologically immature when a killing frost hit, the green seeds will not mature and will shrivel when the seeds dry down. Immature beans hit by frost are often well over 25 percent moisture and take a long time to dry down in the field, if at all. Harvesting at this moisture content may not even be an option as the immature seed crushes very easily in the combine, and drying costs would be prohibitive.

long as the average 24-hour air conditions are below 70 to 75 percent relative humidity and soybean moistures are above 15 percent. Usually only little rewetting occurs, and then only in the bottom 6 to 18 inches in the bin. The balance of good weather during the day or week more than offsets short highhumidity periods during the night, or one to two days of drizzle.

ambient temperature and relative humidity. Cool, moist air common in the fall has poor drying capability. Manitoba Agriculture recommends adding only an extra 3 to 5.5 degrees C of supplemental heat to natural aeration systems in an effort to speed dry down. Generally, their recommendation is to run fans (and low heat burners) continuously as

Like all crops, bins should be monitored over the winter to ensure hot spots donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t develop. The risk of heating increases with higher seed moisture content and more green material like pods, green weed seeds, and volunteer canola going into the bin. Cooling the grain down with aeration can help prevent heating. When temperatures are above freezing continue aerating to keep the grain cool, and perhaps remove a truckload or two to help break up hot spots. When the temperature is below freezing, running the fans every couple weeks can also help keep hot spots from developing. During the winter put the fans on every couple of weeks to help keep hot spots from developing. Many different bin monitoring probes and automated systems are available for keeping track of grain bins and can even be done remotely with computer-based programs.

Early Riser

NSC Reston RR2Y

Get top yield performance early!

NSC Reston RR2Y is one of the highest yielding soybean varieties for the early maturing soybean category. With its tall stature and exceptional podding, this bean will give you confidence in growing soybeans. At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans! www.weknowbeans.com

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Purchasing improved technology allows soybean growers to get the full benefit of everything that plant breeders have learned and been able to pass on to growers in terms of beneficial traits. For example, the Roundup Ready 2 Yield® trait offers not

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only the same great level of weed protection that first generation Roundup Ready® soybeans do, but it also offers greater yield potential. Growers will see more three, four and even five-bean pods. In 2009, studies conducted by Monsanto researchers showed that Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans had greater root biomass compared to first generation Roundup Ready® soybeans. Ultimately, these studies showed that Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean varieties provided higher yields by producing more beans per pod. Also consider the advantages provided by certified seed. When you buy seed produced by a seed company under a valid Monsanto trait license, you know it is tested under strict quality protocol to ensure appropriate performance on your farm. The seed will be clean, and its quality will be guaranteed because of strict, third party inspections conducted before it’s sold to you. You can feel more confident when you purchase certified seed with Roundup Ready 2 Yield® technology because you are purchasing leading edge genetics with traits for improved yield potential, herbicide tolerance, and environmental stress tolerance that are the result of years of research and development. So much has been learned and now put to use by growers that Roundup Ready 2 Yield® technology will also be used as the platform for future soybean offerings, such as Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans, which will feature the addition of dicamba tolerance. Why settle for the performance of technology that’s solid but out-of-date? Trading in for an improved product offers soybean growers in Western Canada the potential for higher yield. If you have questions about the benefits of Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean technology, or would like more information on variety performance in your area, contact your local NorthStar Genetics dealer.

Did you know? Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean technology is covered by a different set of patents than the first-generation Roundup Ready® soybeans. As a result, the changes that affected the use of original Roundup Ready® technology when its patent expired do not apply to Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield®. Monsanto and EnviroLogix, a leader in the development and manufacture of immunoassay test kits, have developed a field-friendly test to detect the Roundup Ready 2 Yield® trait in soybeans. The test is capable of providing accurate detections in less than 20 minutes, and is being widely used by Field Check Representatives supporting Monsanto’s Technology Protection Field Check Program. If you have questions or concerns about the Technology Protection Field Check Program or seed piracy in your area, please contact Monsanto’s CustomCare® line at 1-800-667-4994.

Total Nutrition for Soybeans By Ron Friesen

You’ve probably heard somewhere that soybeans are a cheap and easy crop to grow. You don’t need fertilizer because soybeans fix their own nitrogen. All you have to do is buy some seed, apply inoculant and seed treatment, plant the seeds, and watch them grow. Spray the crop with glyphosate during the growing season and harvest it in fall. Easy as pie. It sounds too good to be true. And it is. Yes, soybeans do fix nitrogen, but it’s a myth that they don’t need fertilizer. They do. And the amount you apply has a direct bearing on the yields you get. That’s the word from Jarrett Chambers, president of ATP Nutrition Ltd., a plant nutrient company in Oak Bluff, Manitoba. “Don’t say you’re growing soybeans because you want to lower your fertilizer bill. You’re going to grow soybeans to lower your nitrogen bill,” says Chambers, a plant nutritionist. “If you want to grow 25 bushels per acre of soybeans, I guess it is that simple. But if you’re looking at a 45-bushel crop, you need about 200 to 225 pounds of nitrogen fixation per acre. And you’re going to need almost 55 to 60 pounds of phosphorus.” Chambers spends much of his time talking about the importance of plant nutrition to producers looking to improve their yields. That’s particularly the case for soybeans, which are a high protein crop. Soybeans derive up to 38 percent of their calories from protein, more than any other legume. Nitrogen drives protein and a crop that’s high in protein needs a lot of nitrogen to produce it. Surprisingly, Chambers recommends against planting soybeans in nitrogen rich soil. Too much nitrogen can prevent the rhizobia bacteria, commercially applied to the seed to promote nitrogen fixation, from doing their work. 23

“Normally in plant nutrition, to maximize productivity, you never want to have a plant deficient in a nutrient. The exception is legumes. That plant must become nitrogen deficient to send a signal out to the root system that says it is nitrogen deficient. And the rhizobia say, perfect, we can help you out. If you don’t make that plant nitrogen deficient, it never sends that signal out. And if it doesn’t send the signal out, the rhizobia never start fixing nitrogen. “If there’s too much nitrogen in the soil, or if you’ve applied too much nitrogen, that plant does not go nitrogen deficient. And if it doesn’t, you will not get nitrogen fixation by the rhizobia. So if your soil tests high in nitrogen, do not use that field.” The two other macronutrients, phosphorus and potassium, are also critical for success. Chambers says growers should think about phosphorus demand by soybeans the same way they think about it for canola because the ratio for both crops is roughly the same. “If you want to be a good soybean producer, you’ve got to figure out how to deal with the 60 pounds of phosphorus per acre that’s being removed. Are you going to put on 60 pounds? That probably could be a little crazy. But if you think you’re only going to put on 20 pounds, I’ll tell you right now, change your yield goals.” Unfortunately, many soils in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are starting to show phosphorus deficiency – not a good thing for a crop with a high P requirement. Chambers says a three-year crop rotation of wheat, canola, and field peas can deplete phosphorus in the soil by more than 80

pounds per acre. He has data from 100,000 soil samples to show that most of the cropland in Saskatchewan is phosphorus deficient.

revealing. Take zinc, for example. Chambers says 70 percent of zinc’s functions are tied to protein production: the higher the protein, the greater the demand for zinc.

Then there’s potassium, which is also tied to protein content in soybeans.

Chambers says the importance of micronutrients in growing soybeans should not be underestimated. Soybean roots are not particularly vigorous in the early growth stages. As a result, they are susceptible to root diseases, especially if the soil is cold and wet.

“We have to pump sugars and amino acids – all the things the plant makes in the leaf – to the pod and the soybean seed. Because we’re moving all those sugars to make a high protein seed, one of the big drivers is potassium. And it’s just under 200 pounds of potassium per acre to grow 45 bushels,” Chambers says. But it’s not just N, P, and K that drive protein content. Chambers stresses there are 17 essential nutrients that plants require to grow. Each nutrient plays a role in developing protein. For that reason, Chambers says fertility programs should contain a full nutrient package, not just macronutrients. “Soybeans will fix their own nitrogen but we still have 16 other elements to work with,” he says. “If there are 17 essential nutrients and you’re spending $100 to do an N, P, and K soil test, don’t do it at all. There are 17 essential nutrients and you’re only measuring three. “It’s like going to a doctor for blood tests and saying, just check my hemoglobin level and nothing else. Don’t check my cholesterol because that’s not important. A doctor would never do that. So why are we doing that?” The results of a full nutrient test can be

“If you have a high native background of root diseases and not a very vigorous crop, nutrients like phosphorus, zinc, and manganese become very important to create healthier plants and ward off disease infection. None of these nutrients control diseases. But if you make a root system, and subsequently a plant, more vigorous, it pushes through these diseases that are native to the soil.” Of course, following Chambers’ suggestions will result in a bigger fertilizer bill. But the reward is in higher yields. Chambers says the breakeven point for a 25-bushel soybean crop is probably just that – 25 bushels. But if you harvest a 40-bushel crop, your breakeven goes down to 22 bushels because higher yields lower the cost of production. Chambers says there’s no point skimping on fertilizer because you’re already spending $100 an acre on seed, inoculant, and nutrient dressing. “We’re nickel and diming things and we’re not looking at the big picture,” he says. “Nutrition should not be your limiting factor.”

VALTERA™ HAS SHOWN TO BOOST YIELD BY UP TO 6.7 BUSHELS/ACRE.* Eliminating early weed pressure is the secret to high yielding soybeans. Adding Valtera herbicide to your burndown will give IP and Roundup Ready ® soybeans a huge leg up.

Valtera is a Group 14 residual pre-emergent product that remains in the soil to provide safe, extended (4 to 6 week) control of tough broadleaf weeds. And Valtera will boost your resistance management program by controlling glyphosate-resistant weeds.

1.800.868.5444 Nufarm.ca *Results from trials across five States, comparing yields in fields using a glyphosate burndown versus a Valtera + glyphosate burndown. Valtera™ is a trademark of Valent U.S.A. Corporation. All other products are trademarks of their respective owners. 40229-0914

EXTENDED EARLY SEASON CONTROL IN SOYBEANS.

Soybeans Host to TwoSpotted Spider Mite By John Dietz

Manitoba soybean growers were on the lookout for the two-spotted spider mite this past season. Why? Will they return? Can they be managed? The guy at the edge of the soybeans in August this year, peering at the underside of leaves, probably was an agronomist in search of a pest. A search was on for signs of the tiny twospotted spider mite. It’s not an insect. It is a mite, capable of overwintering in Manitoba, that is nearly too small to see without a visual aid. And, it’s a tiny pest. A full-blown, nearly translucent adult is roughly 0.4 mm in size. Imagine looking for black dots, on the lower side of fat green soybean leaves, the size of this period. That’s the mite size. The characteristic black dots are smaller, with two on the body of each mite.

What the mite is looking for is plant cells to puncture and suck for juice.

in mid to late summer favoured a population increase.

“They puncture a cell and start feeding on the juice. You get little spots where they have damaged a cell. Individually, they don’t do much. Those spots turn brown, and at high enough levels can affect the photosynthetic capacity of the plant. That may be a problem,” says John Gavloski, Manitoba’s provincial entomologist.

These mites will feed on leaves of alfalfa, corn, soybeans, horticultural crops, and house plants.

Summer 2014 The two-spotted spider mite can overwinter in agricultural regions of Manitoba and is a generalist in its feeding. Population varies year to year. In 2014, warm dry conditions

“Look for them anytime during the growing season. They are often more numerous around the field edge. Once vegetation in a ditch starts becoming less favourable, they start moving into fields,” he says. “It really was hard to find in June and much of July. We got a dry stretch through July and into August. Numbers really did pick up but they certainly weren’t a major problem or were concentrated around field edges,”

the entomologist says. “Most reports this year were from the east-central part of Manitoba.” Some spraying along field edges was reported, which can be typical under prolonged drier conditions. There are occasionally situations where whole fields may need to be treated, but this is not common. There can be a yield effect on affected plants. The level of impact will depend in part on the stage of the plant. The stages of soybeans that are most susceptible to spider mites are the R4 (full pod) through R5 (beginning seed – when seeds are filling) stages. Once soybeans reach R6 (full seed

or green bean stage) the feeding from spider mites will have less impact on yield. Populations head downward with cooler harvest conditions. In September, mites are leaving fields in favour of better wintering conditions in ditches and brush. As they go into overwintering, they turn to a reddish colour.

Next year While the tiny mite can do real damage, it also can be controlled if you’re looking for them at the right time and place. For 2015 scouting, Gavloski suggests, be prepared to watch for movement into fields

during the growing season. Spider mites have multiple hosts, and overwinter close to where they were the following year. Thus, don’t expect crop rotation to have an impact. “Grassy plants are also hosts. They’re not pests in a cereal crop like wheat, but they will be in there. If you get a crop of wheat next to a crop of soybeans and the wheat has dried down, you might get movement into the soybeans. “After a roadside ditch gets cut, you might want to ramp up monitoring in soybeans or alfalfa, particularly if the weather has been hot and dry. Those things needs to be considered when crop scouting. It’s always good to be keeping an eye on the edges, any time in the season.”

Manitoba doesn’t get situations where whole fields are dried and shriveled by spider mites. You see it in patches, normally along a field edge. “They can move by ‘ballooning’,” Gavloski says. “With the silk, they can be blown a short distance by the wind. They don’t move far and so, normally, we only see heavy edge effects.”

Scouting With enough feeding by spider mites, agronomists and hawkeyed field managers were noticing brown stippling and webbing, particularly on the undersides of soybean leaves, last August. At a later stage, the leaves started to curl up and look very dried out. Gavloski says, “Webbing is very fine. Turn over the leaves and look for leaves that are starting to discolour. The webbing is likely to be attached to the underside rather than dangling from it. Carrying a magnifying glass is a good idea.” If you’re seeing symptoms but not the mites, he suggests, try shaking them off a few leaves. Make sure there really are lots of spider mites before going for a control measure. “They’re white to almost transparent in summer, but the black dots on them normally are visible. Hold a piece of paper or cardboard under a plant and tap the plant. What you will see is tiny specs moving around, if you have them. A person has to train their eye to look for these specs,” Gavloski says. If you don’t find living spider mites moving around but do see webs and real damage, it is possible that the damage has been done and the mites have been destroyed by fungus or have finished with active feeding.

With enough feeding by spider mites, agronomists and hawk-eyed field managers were noticing brown stippling and webbing, particularly on the undersides of soybean leaves. At a later stage, the leaves started to curl up and look very dried out. Webbing is very fine. Turn over the leaves and look for leaves that are starting to discolour. The webbing is likely to be attached to the underside rather than dangling from it.

“You could end up with webbing being there while the spider mite population is declining or almost gone. Webbing might persist a while under the leaves. Before taking action, be sure they are still actively feeding.”

Control measures Weather that is persistently rainy, damp, or cool is a natural enemy to the mite population. If the weather doesn’t get them, a natural fungus may, given time. “There’s a fungus that is very good at regulating the numbers,” the entomologist says. “Years when we get a lot of rain, we see more of the fungus and less mites.” The only agricultural product registered for control of spider mites in soybeans is dimethoate. It is widely available for agricultural use as Cygon and Lagon, but is banned for domestic use. A couple of miticides are on the market, for horticultural crops, and can be an effective alternative. “Essentially, miticides will kill nothing but mites,” he says. “A miticide might be a little easier on some of the natural enemies than products like Cygon or Lagon. People who grow horticultural crops might want to buy a product such as Oberon or Kelthane, which are more specific to mites.” Two-spotted spider mites are the smallest of the pests that attack soybeans in Manitoba, and not nearly as serious as soybean aphids, cutworms, or grasshoppers. “They’re a low to moderate risk in most years for soybean growers,” Gavloski says. “They still are something to scout for along the field edge. They certainly can get to levels that are worth treating.”

take your yield

Through ThrouGh the roof. ThE rooF TakE your yiEld

If you’re ready to take your soybean yield higher, ask for the 2—Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans. They have built-in yield potential to outperform original Roundup Ready® Soybeans, with farmers seeing more 3,4 and 5 bean pods. So be sure your soybeans have the trait technology that’s advancing the yield of soybean growers across Canada. And get ready to yield more than ever.

Genuity® Because every bean matters. Visit your seed®rep or genuitytraits.ca Genuity Because every bean matters. Visit your seed rep or genuitytraits.ca

ALWAYS FOLLOW IRM, GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. ©2014 Monsanto Company

Quality Seed Testing 20/20 Seed Labs Inc. is Canada’s first independent, ISTA and CFIA accredited, full service seed testing provider. Ask us about crop inspection services.

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Foster’s Focus A column by Sarah Foster

Quality In, Quality Out Canada’s seed growers are world renowned! These dedicated individuals have a reputation for producing and delivering top quality seed, and this in part is established by the continuance of a third party crop inspection program. In my previous article I wrote about the privatization of seed crop inspection. This program is well under way and as I write this article I am embarking on inspecting soybeans in Manitoba. I am a licensed seed inspector and am thrilled to be a part of the seed industry and enjoy participating in providing a number of services not only offered at our laboratory, but also in the field that ensure quality products. As I drive around Manitoba inspecting, I am encouraged to see the combines rolling along, gathering up the fruits of our labour. It’s an exciting time of year for many of us with seed safely in the bin and, for me, as our seed labs prepare for the new season. The certified seed system is regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which allows us to label our seed with the most respected certified “blue” seed tag. Certified seed is produced by members of the Canadian Seed Growers Association (CSGA) and is sold to farmers to produce commercial crops and grain. Did you know that common seed can be multiplied without any officially recognized inspections to confirm varietal purity identification or quality assurance? Certified seed, which is a part of the pedigreed seed system, is the best management tool for your farm. It allows us to access new and purpose-bred varieties for many different growing conditions around Canada. Planting pure-bred seed that has years of research to back up the value is a

reliable route to obtaining a plethora of new varieties with specialty seed traits for specific agronomic performance attributes such as drought tolerance, freedom from disease, enhanced vigor, and better yields. Marketing opportunities are broader with certified seed, as well, because each grower follows stringent production rules to ensure quality, varietal identity, and purity standards. This guarantees that every bag you open will be dependable. Certified seed is important to many aspects of the seed industry; we forget that food processors are a part of this value chain (network) and depend on stable grains and oilseeds. Our bread, oils, and other food products require the best ingredients. Seed and grain that are produced this way have a place in premium markets.

inspector, licensed by CFIA, will verify that the field and crop complies with the limits as mentioned. Crop inspectors also ensure that they too are not contaminating the field; special clothing and sanitizing techniques are applied when going from field to field.

There are several components that are followed for producing certified seed and it starts with breeders’ seed. Select seed growers earn the privilege through the adherence to strict requirements to grow breeders’ seed, which is the beginning for a seed variety to come into the marketplace.

Seed performance is established further after harvest and conditioning by conducting a purity and germination test at a federally recognized accredited seed-testing laboratory. All pedigreed seed is tested by official methods to confirm the Canadian grade. It is only after these tests have been performed that a blue certified seed tag can be applied.

At every step of the certified seed process, varietal identification is maintained to ensure that the parent seed pedigree or trueness to variety is consistent. This is established by creating an isolation distance from field to field. A deliberate border of 3 meters or even several miles is planned to keep the same or different varieties of the same crop kind apart and distinguishable from each other. Also, recording the history of what the land was previously used for is important so that dormant seed from another crop year does not contaminate this year’s crop. In other words, the level of other crops and off-types is limited as well as objectionable weeds. During crop inspection, the crop inspector who is now an authorized seed

The final step in certifying the seed is completed when all of this information is sent to the CSGA head office in Ottawa. The information is reviewed, and once it is accepted, a unique crop certificate number is generated that belongs to the individual grower. This 12-digit number will be affixed to every bag and is used as part of an audit trial or unique identification to every seed grower.

All sectors of the agricultural industry have a clear line for crop production providing a value chain for preserving identity and quality assurance. Our clients can be confident that the seed they purchase has been grown and produced to these specifications that are second to none. We know that our reputation depends on delivering consistent quality from start to finish. And you will come to know the benefits of certified seed and why you should “use it for all it’s worth!”

The Earliest

NSC Moosomin RR2Y

NorthStar Genetics’ earliest maturing soybean variety!

With NSC Moosomin RR2Y, our earliest maturing soybean variety, you can be confident in growing successful soybeans in Saskatchewan. AD At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans!

www.weknowbeans.com

The Big Guns

NSC Gladstone RR2Y

Literally, our biggest branching soybean plant.

NSC Gladstone RR2Y is an early maturing soybean variety with great yield potential that is ideal for planting in wide rows due to its outstanding branching. AD

At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans! www.weknowbeans.com