U.S. and Midsouth Soybean Production Trends
A June 2023 USDA-ERS report titled “Characteristics and Trends in U.S. Soybean Production Practices, Costs, and Returns Since 2002" by Vaiknoras and Hubbs [Report No. 316] provides information about soybean production in the U.S. Highlights from that report along with data accessed from the USDA-NASS website that contains statistics from the USDA-NASS Agricultural Resource Management Survey [ARMS] are presented below.
• Information/data in Report No. 316 comes from the seven regions in the U.S. that produce the most soybeans. The Mississippi Portal region [see map on p. 1 of report], which includes West Tenn. and the Delta portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, is one of these seven regions.
• The U.S. is a major producer of soybeans on a global scale, and soybean farming across the entire country has become more input-intensive. This is a significant contributor to both increased yields and increased costs of production.
• The total number of harvested soybean acres in the U.S. increased from 72.50 million in 2002 to 86.34 million in 2022. This acreage was second only to that devoted to corn during the 2002-2022 period.
• Estimated national yield increased from 38.0 to 49.5 bu/acre during the 2002-2022 period. See Fig. 7 in report 316 for upward trend line for national soybean yield during this time period.
• U.S. soybean exports have grown to nearly 50% of total production in 2021-2022.
• In the Miss. Portal states, 2002 and 2022 harvested acreage and yields have increased as follows: Ark.–2.88 to 3.15 million acres & 33.5 to 52.0 bu/acre yield; Louisiana–660 thousand to 1.210 million acres & 32.0 to 47.0 bu/acre yield; Miss.–1.37 to 2.29 million acres & 32.0 to 54.0 bu/acre yield; Tenn.–1.12 to 1.62 million acres & 31.0 to 48.0 bu/acre yield.
• In 2002, 81% of soybean acres were planted with seed of genetically engineered [GMO] varieties. By 2022, 95% of U.S. soybean acres were planted to GMO varieties, most of which were resistant to particular herbicides . Herbicides are applied to nearly all U.S. soybean acres.
• Seed treatments, insecticides, and fungicides were most commonly applied to the greatest share of acres in the Miss. Portal region.
• Yield monitors were the most commonly used precision agriculture tool on U.S. soybean farms, and variable rate technology [VRT] for fertilizer and pesticide applications was used the least. An Aug. 2023 USDA-ERS report titled “Variable rate technology adoption on the rise” shows that about 25% of U.S. soybean acreage has inputs applied using VRT.
• The percentage of U.S. soybean acres receiving phosphorus and potassium fertilizers was above 40%. In the Miss. Portal region, fertilizer, which includes any fertilizer amendment, was applied to over 60% of soybean acres.
• Surprisingly, nitrogen [N] was applied to almost 30% of U.S. soybean acres. Reasons for this are unknown since the preponderance of evidence from research shows there is no benefit from this practice. Click here to access the White Paper on this website that provides details about adding N fertilizer to sites where soybeans will be grown.
• In recent years, soybean yields/acre in the Miss. Portal states have equaled or exceeded the national yield [Click here for these data]. However, costs to produce these yields have generally been greater than those incurred for producing soybeans in the other U.S. regions., and this is likely related to the high use of seed treatments, fungicides, insecticides, and irrigation on soybean acres in this region.
• According to the latest data available from the ARMS survey, conservation tillage [no-till and reduced tillage such as mulch or strip-till] was least practiced in the Miss. Portal region, where it was used on only 53% of the soybean acreage compared to 95% in the Southern Seaboard region.
Midsouth soybean producers are encouraged to access the above-linked reports and articles to get the details of the summary points presented here. Producers are also encouraged to determine which production items they can adopt or improve in their operations to ensure that Midsouth soybean production is at the forefront of efficient U.S. soybean farming.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Aug. 2023, larryh91746@gmail.com