The Indiana Certified Crop Adviser panel includes Steve Gauck, an agronomy manager for Beck’s, Greensburg; Jeff Nagel, agronomist for Keystone Cooperative, Lafayette; and Marty Park, agronomist with Gutwein Seed Services, Rensselaer. 

 

My son’s professor is pushing for earlier planted soybeans. How early can I push that window? What other factors should I consider or change when planting earlier? 

 

Gauck: Have your soybean planter ready by the end of March. We always seem to get a good planting window in April, and we need to take advantage of it. Many also utilize that early planting window to get a jump on spraying. One way to gain on planting date is to utilize an herbicide program that can be sprayed pre-emergence, allowing you to plant then spray.  

 

When preparing your planter, make sure all seed discs are in good shape and utilize aftermarket closing wheels. Anything is better than two rubber closing wheels! When planting early, maintain planting depth around an inch and a half. This keeps soybeans in a more constant temperature and moisture to help offset any temperature swings after planting. If soil conditions are good, take advantage and plant soybeans!

 

Nagel: If soil conditions are fit, we have certainly seen the benefits of April planted soybeans. Late March or very early April might be considered ultra early. While late March plantings can work, we see more issues with either emergence or freeze risks.

 

With early planting, consider the following: 

Park: We have seen positive results for planting soybeans in April in the past several years. How early you can plant depends on where you are located, the weather and how much risk you’re willing to accept. Most growers in northern Indiana rarely plant before the middle of April due to field conditions, frost/freeze risk and crop insurance replant coverage dates. 

 

Most operations can plant their entire soybean crop in less than 10 days if the weather cooperates. So think about how early you really need to go and what portion of your crop you are willing to put at risk. 

 

Watch the weather forecast very closely and look for that “safe” time frame when freezing temperatures or heavy rainfall are not in the forecast. Plant soybean varieties with a very good disease package and standability. Use a seed treatment that provides protection from seedling diseases, sudden death syndrome and maybe even insect pressure. Plant your best drained fields first and avoid the fields that lay wet until later.