1
Jun
2022
Gene Editing – the next revolution in plant breeding is underway! Although the ability for gene editing has been around for many years, recent advances in technology have democratized this tool. Fueled by this, many companies, from startups to established multinationals, are starting their edits. Our team at Beck’s is involved as well.
Categories: CropTalk, 2022
Tags: soybeans, gene editing, Plant Breeding, Genetics
Practical Farm Research (PFR)® has become the go-to resource for farmers to gain information on new products and practices, and 2022 marks the third season of studies designed to test in-season management decisions to aid in profitability. These studies focus on real-world situations that we all encounter in the field and decisions we are forced to make to maintain profitability. In last month’s issue of CropTalk, we higlighted management strategies for early in the season. This month, we expand on that theme by highlighting studies and data for the rest of the season!
Tags: corn, soybeans, planting, Fungicide, PFR, ROI, Decision Making, Mid-Season
Since 1964, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® has strived to help farmers find new ways to better manage their farms and increase their ROI. So, what better place to start than with Beck’s farmers on our seed production team. To learn more about the PFR management practices and products used across the company’s seed corn and soybean production acres, I sat down with Darin Lucas, Beck’s production location agronomist in Atlanta, IN.
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, Success Strategies, Production
2
May
This should come as a surprise to no one, but the herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate are in limited supply and have received price increases for 2022. The purpose of this article is to help you navigate this volatile market while still controlling troublesome weeds in your soybean fields. The focus will be on controlling pigweed species (waterhemp and Palmer amaranth), but the information is applicable to most of our weed spectrum.
Tags: soybeans, weed control, herbicides, weed management
4
Jan
In addition to the herbicide guide, Beck’s has created quick-read, topical weed management briefs that combine insights from Practical Farm Research (PFR)® herbicide studies and sound agronomic practices.
Categories: PFR
Tags: soybeans, Practical Farm Research, Beck's, PFR, herbicides, soybean herbicides, HERBICIDE RECOMMENDATIONS, resistant weeds
Beck’s has created short, informational videos that combine insights from Practical Farm Research (PFR)® herbicide studies and sound agronomic practices. Featured from our Herbicide Insight Days, watch these videos for our 2022 weed management recommendations.
6
Dec
2021
Since 1937, the Beck family has owned and operated Beck’s, the largest family-owned retail seed company and the third-largest seed brand in the United States. As farmers themselves, the Beck family recognizes the value of conducting unbiased agronomic research to help farmers succeed.
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, Success Strategies
In a high-cost, limited input supply market, where should farmers invest their money? This year’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® Insight Meetings are based on the theme of ‘How to Invest Money to Make Money.’ Sessions that will be included under this new theme are focused on helping farmers make the most profitable and impactful decisions on their operations, for each dollar spent. Under each unique management topic, new study harvest data and PFR Proven™ content will be featured. The spotlight on PFR Proven™ products and practices will tell stories of the knowledge PFR has captured from multiple years and locations of testing. Innovation is key to staying relevant with changes and opportunities in the industry – watch out for what new studies entered the PFR program this past growing season and what has earned the PFR Proven label. Here’s a preview of what content will be shared at the in-person and virtual meetings!
Categories: CropTalk, 2021
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, PFR Insights
Sep
Beck’s has been developing PFR Proven™ endorsements to help you decide which products and practices you should try on your operation. We have identified the top PFR Proven strategies for success based on what we have learned from our PFR studies that can lead you to higher soybean yields.
Tags: soybeans, PFR, proven farm research
Aug
As we know all too well, each year of crop production gives us different challenges and opportunities. And as we continue to increase our knowledge and efficiencies of crop production, we continue to be humbled by new pests that rob our fields of yield. Two diseases in particular that have been discovered recently include Red Crown Rot of soybeans and Taproot Decline of soybeans. Both diseases were observed in the early 2000s in the Delta region of the United States. They have since migrated north and have been identified in most soybean growing states of the Midwest.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, Soybean Diseases
Jul
When appropriately timed, fungicide applications in soybeans provide one of the most consistent returns of all the things tested through Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)®, even in the absence of significant foliar disease pressure. Beck’s 4-year, multi-location research suggests that the optimal timing is the R3 reproductive stage, which is identified by having a 3/16 in. pod at one of the uppermost four nodes.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, Agronomy, PFR, PFR Proven, fungicide timing, funicide soybeans
30
Problematic, resistant weeds are constantly evolving — and staying one step ahead of them can be difficult. As new technologies become available, the options for farmers increase, but many are left wondering how to maximize the technologies. The herbicide specialists at Beck's create numerous resources, like the Soybean Herbicide Programs guide, to help farmers make informed decisions regarding their weed management.
Apr
Spring is here! Hopefully you’ve had a chance to look through the 2020 PFR Book and pick out a PFR Proven™ product or practice to try for 2021. With planting season here, we wanted to share a few early-season PFR Proven products and practices to consider implementing on your farm this spring.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, soybeans, PFR, Planting Date, PFR Proven, Closing Wheels
Heading into the 2021 planting season, this is the first year that we have not been in the middle of launching a new soybean technology to our sales team and customers. As exciting and interesting as it is to launch new technologies in three consecutive seasons, it can lead to confusion about what technology fits best on the farm.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, 2021
2020
Soybean yields ultimately depend on the number and weight of the seeds harvested per acre. Soybean yield is determined by nodes per acre (plants per acre x nodes per plant), pods per node, seeds per pod, and seed weight.
Categories: CropTalk, 2020
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, soybean yield, calculate soybean yield
Target Spot is not a new disease but has become more of an issue in the past few years, especially in the southern regions of our marketing area. Historically, it has not been a yield-robbing disease because it typically remains in the lower canopy of a soybean plant, and those leaves do not contribute to overall yield. In 2014, pathologists began seeing more severe infections, and by 2016 it was considered a disease with significant yield impact in susceptible varieties.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, target spot
8
We're serious about herbicide systems - no matter what soybean technology you plant.
Categories: PFR, #AskPFR
Tags: soybeans, Herbicide, PFR, PFR Report, HERBICIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
3
As we dive into a new decade, I sat down with Craig Hurley, soybean lead for the Beck’s product team. His unique vantage point allows him to evaluate new technologies from across the industry well before they are commercially available.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, Customer Talk, soybean technologies
For years there has been a focus on achieving the perfect “picket fence” spacing in corn fi elds. As a little girl, I was taught that you could just about fi nd a corn seed in the distance from your thumb to your middle fi nger down the row. Years of research has shown that when corn plants are not spaced perfectly, yield potential lowers. Plants that are too close to one another start to compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients, and one plant will end up dominating while the other will become the “weed.”
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, soybean singulation
Oct
2019
Last year's soybean harvest was among the latest on record, resulting in fields harvested at higher than average moisture levels. Farmers may likely have experienced peace of mind as combines rolled, only to face the concern of storing and drying their wet soybeans. As a result, many farmers discovered for the first time that soybeans can be dried relatively easily using air alone or in combination with low temperature heat.
Categories: CropTalk, 2019
Tags: harvest, soybeans, soybean harvest, soybean dry down, split soybeans