Registration Opens for 2024 Illinois Youth Crop Scouting Competition
The Illinois Youth Crop Scouting Competition offers high school teams the opportunity to showcase their field expertise. Held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign South Farm fields, student groups of 2 to 5, accompanied by an adult coach, move through 10 outdoor stations. They engage in hands-on activities covering topics like weed, insect, and disease identification, corn and soybean growth stage assessment, abiotic injury evaluation, pesticide application, and integrated pest management.
You Think Your Soy Has the Blight: Now What?
In this blog, Stephanie Porter, CCA, of Illinois Soybean Association, explores the deeper issue of soybean seedling blight and urges farmers to consider the underlying causes and how to manage it.
Registration Open for 2024 Field Days
ILSoyAdvisor is committed to addressing the diverse soybean production challenges across Illinois. Join us for our summer field events, Field Talks and Tailgate Talks, where agronomic experts will provide region-specific advice and the latest agronomic information.
Rainfall…And Replant?
In this episode, the Soy Envoys provide an overview of recent rainfall across various regions of Illinois with reports ranging from ½ inch to 5 inches. They discuss emerging concerns such as replant considerations for soybeans, disease in wheat fields, and seedling diseases. Looking ahead, they advise on re-planting decisions and caution against making major switches in crop too soon.
IDOA Updates “Frequently Ask Questions” for Dicamba Use in Soybean for 2024
The Illinois Department of Agriculture released a "Frequently Asked Questions" document outlining the specifics regarding dicamba use in soybean for the 2024 season. This comprehensive document addresses key dates, policies, restrictions, and more.
What on Earth(worm) Are Those Brown Things?
Stephanie Porter shares more about identifying earthworm egg cocoons, emphasizing their role in soil health. She explains how lack of earthworms in a field doesn't always signify poor soil quality, and factors like soil type, pH, and moisture levels impact earthworm populations in agricultural fields.
Illinois Dicamba Label and Recordkeeping
As the 2024 growing season begins in Illinois, the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association (IFCA) reminds applicators that the dicamba use restrictions mandated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture remain unchanged from those in 2023. Annual dicamba label training remains a prerequisite before applying dicamba over-the-top of soybeans.
Can Henbit Serve As A Host Away from Soybean?
Illinois Soybean Association Outreach Agronomist, Stephanie Porter, CCA, shares the challenges of winter annual weeds, highlighting henbit and purple deadnettle as alternative hosts of soybean cyst nematode. Research suggests that managing winter annuals in the fall, applying residual herbicides, and removing winter weeds before planting are crucial strategies for management.
Planting Progress: A Marathon, Not a Sprint!
The Soy Envoys provide a short update on planting progress and field conditions across different regions of Illinois. They discuss weed control strategies and herbicide applications as well as the connection of winter annual weeds being a host for soybean cyst nematode. Listen to the full episode here or on all major podcasting platforms.
Where Do Soybeans Come From?
Soy Envoy, Craig Grafton, shares the process of soybean breeding, shedding light on how new soybeans varieties are being developed. He also discusses the evolving landscape of soybean traits and the future of soybean breeding.