Soybeans are 75 per cent planted

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

Farmers who planted soybeans in the past week and those who are at it today, still have the potential of an average crop says OMAFRA soybean specialist Horst Bohner.

“Every day matters now,” he says. “As you get into mid-June, the likelihood of an average crop starts to diminish.”

In his weekly soybean report, Bohner says about 75 per cent of the provincial crop is planted, adding that “large acreage continues to be untouched in some regions.”

Wet weather, of course, has kept farmers off the land this spring. “Clay soils, poorly drained fields and regions that received excess rainfall are 10 to 30 per cent seeded,” Bohner says in his report.

A caution for those who have planted is that weeds are advancing faster than the crop in some areas, making weed control critical.

“When making spray timing decisions focus on the stage of the weed, not the growth stage of the soybeans,’ Bohner says in his report. “It is not necessary to wait for the first trifoliate before spraying with most products.  Glyphosate can be sprayed at any early growth stage to control weeds on glyphosate tolerant soybeans.” BF