Scouting Soybeans

I am finishing up my scouting for one company and I ran across this draft I haven't used yet.  "I can't believe it is time to scout soybeans again. Another year has rolled by!

Sable and I scouted several acres in southern Fayette County. The soybeans over there are ahead of the ones where I live in southern Clinton County.  They were able to plant when we were not.  I think the farmers there have done a really nice job. Many, many farms have soybeans in the first or second trifoliate stage."

Most of the planted soybeans around here are from just planted to stage V5. Here is a good description from the American Soybean Association:

V2 Two nodes on the main stem with fully developed leaves. R4 Pod is 3/4" long at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf. R8 Ninety-five percent of the pods have reached their mature pod color.

Vegetative stages

VE Emergence Emergence of young plants through the soil surface with cotyledons (seed leaves) above the soil
VC Cotyledon The plant has emerged and cotyledons are fully unfolded
V1 first node The first node appears and the unifoliate leaves are fully developed opposite each other
V2 2 nodes Two nodes on the main stem with fully developed leaves
V5 5 nodes Counting the unifoliate node, there are four more nodes with fully developed trifoliolate leaves.
Vegetative stages V6, V7... Vn continue until the first flower appears. Some varieties may accumulate as many as 20 nodes during the vegetative growth stage.

Reproductive Stages

R1 Beginning flower Open flower at any node on the main stem
R2 Full flower Open flower at one of the two uppermost nodes on the main stem
R3 Beginning pod Pod is 5 mm (3/16 inch) long at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem.
R4 Full pod Pod is 3/4" long at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf.
R5 Beginning seed Seed is 1/8" long in a pod at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem.
R6 Full seed A pod containing a green seed that fills the pod cavity is located at one of the four uppermost main stem nodes.
R7 Beginning maturity One normal pod on the main stem has reached its mature pod color.
R8 Full maturity Ninety-five percent of the pods have reached their mature pod color.

Today I find the April soybeans in R4 to R5 and the later plantings right up that scale to R1!  Most soybeans around here are R2 to R3 today.

The soybeans I have selected this year have a brown pod. They impressed me the first time I scouted them a few years ago. They are Ohio Stressland crossed with a Delta Pine Land cross. They are very consistent in yield.

They looked good last night.  So do the Clermont soybeans we planted.  I have a friend who planted Clermont soybeans and call's it "Ed's Field."  I hope they are his best soybeans!

There may be record soybean acres in the US this year but from what I've seen, I don't think it will be a record yield.  There are just so many acres though, the crop is probably good enough to add up to a LOT of bushels.

How do the soybeans look in your area?

Ed