Soybean research based on farmers’ concerns

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Using feedback from a farmer survey, the Illinois Soybean Association is investing checkoff funds toward research to address those concerns.

ISA’s Soybean Production Concerns Survey has the respondents rate their interests in various general research areas — cover crops, disease and insect management, genetics and plant breeding, nutrient management and more.

The survey also asks which topics respondents believe need more research that would be helpful to their farming operation.

“We’ve had hundreds of people take this survey since the agronomy team formed,” Stephanie Porter, ISA outreach agronomist, said at the University of Illinois Extension’s annual Farm Assets Conference.

“When we did the survey last year, for example, the No. 1 thing people wanted to look at were no-till practices, cover crops, and that type thing.”

Herbicide-resistant weeds and weed management were second in the list of concerns by farmers who completed the survey.

“We’re also funding not only research on resistance, but also a lot of people like to plant soybeans early in Illinois, so how is that changing waterhemp,” Porter said.

In that research, Aaron Hager, U of I weed science professor, is looking at managing weeds in early-planted no-till soybeans. It includes evaluating the effectiveness of pre- and post-herbicide applications with and without cereal rye for weed control.

Insect and disease management are other hot topics among farmers surveyed.

“People are worried about whether pesticides are becoming resistant. They’re also very concerned about new and emerging pests and diseases. Why does Stephanie keep talking about red crown rot? That’s a hot topic. These are things that farmers are putting on their survey or they’re calling me up and asking me about, and they want researchers to work on soybean cyst nematode, of course,” Porter said.

“Double-crop soybeans is a big deal in Illinois, so we put forth research dollars towards that, as well as diversifying crop systems within the state. I have an integrated pest management background, and when we start diversifying, we add more cover crop species, more wheat, that’s great, but what happens with the pests, too?”

“We’re also looking at different populations of double-crop soybeans.”

Other research examples are evaluating leaf nutrient tissue testing and its relation to soybean yields and evaluating different cover crops within a 40-acre farm plot.

Soybean checkoff-funded research is conducted through on-farm trials, as well as at ISA’s Agronomy Farm near Heyworth in central Illinois, a new farmer-focused research farm with 98 tillable acres.

Trial Categories

ISA deploys and manages three categories of trials — legacy trials, action trials and demonstration trials — as part of its On-Farm Trial Network.

Action trials are flexible, replicated trials addressing relevant agronomics on topics ranging from pest management to planting rates. They report findings and actionable guidance as soon as possible.

The first Action trial carried out last year and will continue in 2026 was sulfur management in soybeans.

Legacy trials are long-term strip trials to evaluate the impact of cover crops and tillage on soil health.

Demonstration trials are less intensive and provide qualitative insights that provide an opportunity to highlight new products or practices.