Step Right Up! Make Your Variety Selections Now.

This year’s soybeans will soon be filling your combine. 

Your mind might be full of hope that the seeds you planted earlier this year will live up to the promises of your carefully selected varieties.

“One could argue that variety selection is the most important management decision that a producer will make each year,” says Mississippi State University Extension soybean specialist Trent Irby.

Before you know it, you will be combing through the latest soybean varieties for the 2018 season and making decisions that will make a big difference in your farm’s profits. 

Variety Selection Tips
Part of a farmer’s job is choosing the right variety for the soil type and planting window. Irby says these best practices can help you make the right choice.

1. Select varieties that can perform in a variety of environmental conditions. 
2. Consider these factors:
   • Soil series and subsequent field drainage
     • One seed provider may have a soybean that does very well on clay soils but will not perform as well on sandy or silt loams.
   • Row pattern
   • Maturity Group
   • Targeted planting date
   • Irrigation capabilities 
3. Assess performance in variety trials and on-farm variety demonstration outcomes. 
4. Evaluate varieties you have grown on your farm in recent years, and consider planting those varieties that have performed well in the past. 
5. Plant new varieties on limited acreage to see how they will perform under your production system. 
6. Talk with your seed dealer about using adapted varieties in fields with a known history of yield and pest presence.