Soybeans Today January 1998
Program Takes Hard Look At Production Systems
By Rich Maples
Oil Trough farmer Kenny Kramer is using the Soybean Research Verification Program to
improve his irrigated and dryland yields. |
Its one thing to make high yields with irrigated soybeans, but its quite
another to make good dryland yields. The University of Arkansas Division of
Agricultures Soybean Research Verification Program (SRVP) is helping producers do
both.
In 1996, Oil Trough farmer Kenny Kramer enrolled a 35-acre irrigated, doublecropped
field in the research verification program. With few problems, Kramer and the Extension
SRVP team produced 52-bushel beans and the highest net profit of any field enrolled in the
verification program that year.
In 1997, Kramer gave the SRVP team more of a challenge--help him make a decent yield on
a 32-acre non-irrigated, no-till, doublecropped field.
SRVP coordinator Richard Klerk, center, farmer Kenny Kramer, left, and Independence County
Extension agent Stan Carter check the progress of Kramer's no-till, dryland verification
field in early September. |
Richard Klerk, U of A Cooperative Extension Service agronomist and SRVP coordinator,
says, in the past, the Soybean Promotion Board-funded verification program often focused
on full-season, irrigated production systems. "But weve asked county agents to
select more dryland or doublecropped fields, or both, for the program.
"About a third of the states soybean crop is doublecropped, and about 60
percent of the crop is still dryland. We want to build up our data base with information
about these other production systems. Were looking for opportunities for research
and education to help the dryland farmers."
Kramer, like many soybean producers, would like to irrigate all of his soybeans, but
thats not possible. "Normally, about 80 percent of my acreage will be
non-irrigated and the rest irrigated," said the farmer.
Kramer said he and the SRVP team faced few obstacles with the irrigated verification
field in 1996. "The field was in good shape. We planted behind wheat following corn.
Weed control was no problem, and we didnt have any disease problems. We used a
Captan and molybdenum hopperbox seed treatment for diseases.
"Our primary limiting factor here is dry weather. As long as I have the capability
to water, Im not going to let my soybeans suffer."
The soybeans were watered according to the University of Arkansas computerized
Soybean Irrigation Scheduling Program, which was developed by researchers with funding
from the Soybean Promotion Board. Independence County agent Stan Carter ran the program
for Kramer at the county Extension office.
Carter said Kramer "had an idea of which variety he wanted to plant. We
double-checked through SOYVA (Extensions Soybean Variety Selection Program), and the
variety chosen, Hutcheson, turned out to be a good one for the irrigated, doublecropped
verification field in 96.
"We selected a Roundup- Ready variety, Delta King 5961, for the dryland, no-till,
doublecropped field in 97," said Carter. Delta King 5961 is not yet included in
the SOYVA program.
Kramer said he chose not to till the dryland field because, "When youre
pretty sure youre going to have limited moisture, you have to cut every corner you
can.
"With our irrigated field in 1996, we burned the straw, applied a preplant
incorporated herbicide and worked the soil. With the dryland field, there was no tillage
and no preplant herbicide. We just planted the beans and, about 18 days after emergence,
applied 1.5 pints of Roundup. A second application was made when the beans were
flowering."
Kramer said he is sold on no-till production as a way to conserve soil moisture and cut
costs, and hes enthusiastic about Roundup-Ready varieties for weed control. He also
likes the positive effect that having corn in his rotation has had on wheat and soybean
yields.
"I made 11 more bushels of wheat per acre behind corn than I did when I planted
wheat behind soybeans," he noted. "And if I can get timely rainfall, I hope to
get 5-6 more bushels of soybeans, too."
The knowledge gained by Kramer and the scores of other farmers who have taken part in
SRVP since 1983 is available to all producers at their county Cooperative Extension
offices.
Soybeans Today January 1998
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