Corn planting got underway early this year, and consequently will wrap up early. George Stabler, Area Agronomist with Pioneer Hi-Bred covering South Carolina and western North Carolina says that Group 4 & Group 5 soybeans will be going in the ground early, too:
“The corn crop has gotten off to a relatively good start, s o farmers are turning to other crops, definitely, and I think that soybeans are right up there at the top. I wanted to mention that it think there will be a lot of group 4’s planted in North Carolina in some areas, as you move north, in the northern part of the state, but I think that group 5 soybean will defiantly have a big play in the next month, until we get into a true double-crop situation as we get into start cutting some wheat.
It appears to me and what I’ve seen in the crop on the wheat, the wheat crop is going to be early this year, it’s matured out very quickly and I think the crop looks pretty good overall, and I think the potential is there to plant some beans earlier this year than we probably have in several years.”
Stabler suggests that growers shouldn’t shy away from planting soybeans early:
“I think some growers will be looking at group 5 soybeans as an opportunity, the price looks very attractive, supplies look very good. I think even in South Carolina if growers are looking at planting something that looks very attractive, plant your soybeans as early as you can, even the first week or so of May. I think I’d treat your soybeans with a good fungicide treatment and not be scared at all about planting beans as early as you possibly could.”
In addition to a fungicide seed treatment, Stabler recommends a residual herbicide as well:
“I would recommend a residual herbicide of some type for weed control, even though we’re in a Roundup Ready system, we need a good residual herbicide down to control a wide spectrum of weeds, and I think we can get these beans off to a good start, get them early, an I think it just spreads out our harvest looking at group 5 soybeans, if it’s alright, think the beans fit in good, plant them early, and you’ll be harvesting a little earlier than you have in the past.”
With what is appearing to be an early wheat harvest, Stabler suggests that Group 5 soybeans might be a candidate for double cropping:
“Also mention, with this earliness on the wheat crop, there’s a potential to plant some group 5 beans double-crop behind wheat. For a long time, especially on the east coast here, we’ve been planting a group 6 and 7 maturity, which have done really well for us. But, I think if we look at planting some late group 5 beans maybe in some double-crop situations, I don’t mean going on into June, I mean if this wheat crop is early, if the potential is there to plant beans in late May, and I’d plant a late 5 right up on until the first week or so of June, and I think it’s going to mature out a little earlier. And just give us some potential to save some insecticide and fungicide applications on the back end in that September time frame.”
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