Double Crop Soybean Tips

I found this article off Dave Rahe's blog in Illinois so I thought I would share my own tips.

1.  Have the drill loaded when the combine starts cutting.

2.  "Chase the combine" as much as possible.

3.  Kill every weed in the field with a burn down and add a residual herbicide.  Here that would be paraquat or Sharpen and with paraquat I add metribuzin and Sonic or Authority First.  Having good weed control in the wheat is going to help the double crop soybeans.

4.  If you take the straw off, know that you are sacrificing some yield.  Blowing the straw past the header width yet getting good seed to soil contact is a key for me.  With this year's heavy straw, it would help the soybeans if we could take the cut straw off the field.  It's a trade off either way this year in southern Ohio and most places I've visited.

5.  Don't be afraid to change varieties because of the year.  I can yield the most double crop soybeans by planting a 3.9 most years but this year a 3.5 or less might have less risk at frost.  They usually yield more soybeans but if Jack Frost nips the last buds, I usually get the highest yield.  I don't want to wait until the following calendar year to cut them but I have once in the last ten years.

6.  Increase your population for a quick canopy.  This year I am sowing 220,000 seeds per acre, at least that is my goal.  If they all come up I will have too much but if I sow 180k and only get 150k stand, I lose some yield planting this late.

It all sounds pretty easy and it is but the hardest part is chasing the combine and getting it sprayed between rains many years.

One friend's wheat tested 25% yesterday and Keyne's Milling had one load come in at 20% moisture so we are ready to start wheat harvest in southern Ohio, too.

My wheat tested 14% so we cut the first load.  I am going to practice what I am talking about today.

Ed Winkle