Growers’ survey input guides soybean research efforts

DECATUR, Ill. — Combines are rolling, gridiron stadiums are packed and leaves will soon turn as summer transitions to autumn.

Fall and winter is also the time for farmers to once again complete the annual Illinois Soybean Association’s Growing Concerns Survey.

Feedback from the survey provides ISA with direction in terms of investing checkoff funds for research aimed at addressing current farmer concerns.

“It’s a questionnaire that asks farmers what problems they have this year,” Abigail Peterson, ISA director of agronomy and certified crop adviser, said at the Illinois Crop Management Field Day.

“What have you been consistently having challenges with and what’s just on your mind? What do you want to see in research that you’re not getting from what you have for research now, whether that’s from your seed salesman or industry or maybe what you see from the larger national scale?

“What do you want to see in Illinois? I think that’s one takeaway for me is we have a lot of research in other states. That’s really great, but sometimes it lacks an Illinois take. So, we encourage farmers to take that survey, give their input. We read every single one. We find things that the majority definitely might have questions about.”

In the previous survey that concluded early this year, weed management was the top priority for the 158 farmers and crop consultants who responded.

Other concerns were herbicide-resistant weeds, nutrient management for maximizing yield fungicides and insect resistance monitoring and in-field conservation practices.

As a result of those concerns, research projects supported by checkoff funds this year include multiple studies related to herbicide-resistant weeds, weed management in early-planted no-till soybeans, integrated weed management, refining cover crop recommendations and residue management, among others. Trial partners include the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University.

The survey will be conducted throughout the winter.

“You’ll see it at the Soybean Summit that we’ll host in January in Champaign. You’ll see it at our agronomy forum we’re going to host in January in Bloomington. You’ll also see it on some of our social platforms,” Peterson said.

“We really start talking to researchers at the end of February. That’s when we look at responses and come up with summaries.

“We give the summaries to the universities so they can use that in their development of next year’s projects. They are basing their research ideas and using this as one of those resources — and what better way to get Illinois’ voice into what you want researched?

“There have been some great takeaways that the researchers have learned from that survey. But what goes beyond it is, we can’t fund everything under the sun. So, they might take this into more of what they’re researching on a different scale, with a different grant or a different opportunity with another funder. So, we definitely see it as a multitude of value.”

Fifth Year

This marks the fifth year Peterson has served as ISA’s director of agronomy, and she noted all of the behind-the-scenes benefits the checkoff is providing for farmers.

“I think a lot that you might not know from the research is it’s geared toward our public breeding program, which you might not see because you’re buying it at the industry level. But that pipeline really comes from our public breeding program,” she said.

“So, looking at the SCN resistance, the Peking varieties, looking at soybean quality which funnels into our market development team — all of those things are behind the scenes.”

In her role as agronomy director, Peterson believes it’s important to look ahead in terms of stewardship, conservation and soybean quality, as well as address today’s challenges.

“That could look like understanding double-crop systems better, to say that these are saving soil, saving resources. It’s a great option for farmers, but in some cases, in corn and soybean systems further north, it’s not always a yield winner. So, how can we maybe help alleviate some of that adoption pain?” she said.

“It’s a lot of future, forward-looking things that takes a lot of different partners that I’ve really enjoyed working with and learning from, and our board and committees investing in things like the ISA Agronomy Farm and into the research programs that we’re doing.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot within those five years and soybeans are exciting. I will say that. I think it’s a fun crop. There are a lot of opportunities. So, we definitely want to build excitement around your soybeans that can really be a great option for your farm.”