Typically 250 varieties representing various trait stacks from more than 20 seed companies are tested across Illinois each year. Protein and oil evaluation has historically been done through the manual process of collecting grain samples.

By installing technology on the combine that can record these metrics automatically, the data collection process is more streamlined so results are available quicker.

Illinois farmers can use the data to decide to grow varieties with elevated quality characteristics so they can capitalize on premium pricing opportunities. To see the results of the trials, visit https://vt.cropsci.illinois.edu/. 

To learn more about this Illinois Soybean Association checkoff funded project, visit https://fieldadvisor.org/darin-joos/.