The Mechanics of 2025 Soybean Seed Selection

Questions you should ask your seed company rep now for your 2025 seed supply!

By this time in the 2024 calendar year, Illinois farmers have secured most of the in puts and supplies needed to push this year’s full-season soybean crop toward maturity. As the growing season creeps along Mother Nature’s agronomic assembly line, it’s never too early to think about the essential parts and pieces, such as seed, that will be needed for next year’s crop.

Now is the time when farmers should start thinking about the list of questions to pose to their input supply sales reps. And that process should start with seed, according to Stephanie Porter, a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) and the Illinois Soybean Association’s Outreach Agronomist.

Porter says a farmer should consider wide range of topics during initial conversations with their seed reps. To help prepare Illinois soybean farmers for those comprehensive discussions, this issue of Field & Bean includes a wealth of information about all the factors farmers should consider before selecting soybean seed for their 2025 crop.

Whether farmers buy their soybean seed in traditional bags or bulk-fill boxes for larger capacity planters, almost all of them are initially focused on a common thought when it comes to soybean seed, according to Illinois soybean farmer Matt Foes of Sheffield.

“First and foremost, you want to talk to your rep about finding a product that is the best fit for the land you farm with the highest yield capability,” Foes says.

From that point, it becomes a matter of homing in on specific conditions and challenges that individual farmers might face based on their region, their pest pressure and other factors, according to Foes.

“After talking about yield, I would want to focus on traits available that address other challenges or opportunities that go with my farm,” he says. “Does my seed rep perceive that their products are moving forward in addressing the issues I might face? I would also want to make sure that there is chemistry available to go along with those traits in reference to other issues such as dicamba.”

Although yield potential is top of mind for Foes and other Illinois farmers, it doesn’t take long for their strategic thought process to move on to other issues. Some might ask about factors such as soil types, performance in no-till situations, disease and pest resistance, how plants might stand up to expected weather tendencies and overall resiliency, according to Porter.

“Soybean variety selection is the first important decision farmers make, and seed companies take this very seriously,” she says. For farmers and seed suppliers alike, she compares the process to a professional sports team preparing its strategy for the yearly player draft.

“Every seed company and every farmer are going to have different strategies as they work to meet their specific demands,” she explains. “But in the end, the goal of both is to put the best team possible on the field. In the case of seed companies, it’s about improving their entire soybean lineup with varieties that meet farmer standards and yield expectations. For farmers, it’s about viewing all the different offerings from all the seed companies and thinking about what they need on a field-to-field basis to get the best performance out of each acre, and ultimately the farm as a whole.”

According to Porter, the first point of discussion is likely an evaluation of the seed’s genetic strengths. What does the seed offer the farmer in terms of herbicide technologies and yield? But emergence, disease resistance and lodging must also be considered during the selection process. These factors, depending on the year or the environment, could potentially impact soybean yield in a big way.

In addition to yield, Porter says data is gathered on other factors, such as agronomic traits and phenotypic traits — plant height, canopy width — within the same maturity designation.

Porter emphasizes that iterative process. Tracking seed varieties by phenotypic profile might play second fiddle to yield, but those insights allow discussions between seed company representatives and farmers to quickly transition into other discussions.

“Our goal is to make sure that the options presented by seed companies offer products that are specific to the needs and growing demands seen across all regions of Illinois.” Porter recommends that growers go to the University of Illinois Variety Testing website, located at vt.cropsci.illinois.edu , or the Research Hub on ILSoyAdvisor.com .

Maturity is one of the most important factors when selecting a variety, Porter says. It’s vital to find early varieties that have the correct herbicide technology traits and agronomic characteristics for all parts of the state. She also places a high degree of importance on characteristics such as seed quality, germination, emergence, vigor, shattering and herbicide sensitivity.

“A soybean variety could be perfect in every way but have a low SDS (sudden death syndrome) score. In that case, a prescription of seed treatment could make all the difference and help that exceptional variety excel in the field,” she says. “Just like a sports team, we want healthy players playing the correct positions together to score big and win."

In short, seed decisions should be made on the overall strength of bench - much as determining the strength of a football team should be made on a variety of factors, not just a player's 40-yard dash time.

ISA’s Soy Envoys also provide valuable seed insights to farmers. Members of that group are respected crop advisers and agronomists selected to provide counsel to farmers throughout the growing season, not just during planting.

Shelby Weckel, a Soy Envoy from Thomasboro, is a CCA and Sales Agronomist for Ehler Brothers Seed. She focuses primarily on weeds and pests as she implements effective farm management strategies to optimize soybean production. Her seed advice follows her expertise.

“I would ask my rep what treatment package I should be using and if soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a problem I should be worried about,” Weckel says. “As SCN is a topic of growing importance, I would want to approach it with as much knowledge as possible when selecting seed.”

Drew Beckman, a Soy Envoy from Streator, is also a CCA and the Northwest Illinois Regional Field Agronomist for Beck’s Hybrids. He’s working on a research project that examines the correlation between SCN egg count levels and their impact on yields across the traits PI 88788 and Peking.

“When considering seed, it’s important to continue to have a conversation about traits and characteristics around soybean plants,” Beckman says. “Soybeans can be characterized in many ways. It’s important to be managing them at a higher level. I would focus my conversation with a seed rep on noting all the different varieties of soybeans and how each variety’s pros and cons might play into my farming operation.”

Key questions farmers should ask when selecting 2025 soybean seed:

• Should I Consider Maturity Range?

Spread your risk by planting multiple soybean maturities on your farm. For example, there can be a five- to seven-day range between each maturity group. If possible, plant early, and choose a maturity group that reaches its physiological maturity (95 percent pods turn brown) just prior to a killing frost to optimize yield potential.

• How Do I Balance All the Cool Agronomic Traits?

Evaluate if the seed you select includes traits that ward off pests and diseases and whether you really need them.

• How Can I Match Seed to Planting Strategy?

Your planting strategy should be as unique as your farm and individual fields within your farm. Different varieties might excel in certain parts of your farm compared to others. Always consider your soybean variety testing data to help determine which seeds might best match your field conditions.

• Can I Expect the Same Results?

Manufacturer plot trial data can provide an initial view of performance. If you have experienced recent success with seed varieties think about giving them a slight preference. But never plant the same seed on your farm if you are planting soybeans after soybeans or if you are using the Peking trait to combat SCN. Continued use of the Peking trait year after year could encourage resistance. Alternate growing a Peking SCN-resistant variety with varieties that have the PI 88788 resistance.

• Should I Consider Seed Treatments?

Seed treatment is like an insurance policy. Early-planted soybeans and fields with a disease, insect or SCN history are prime candidates for seed treatments. If your fields have been plagued by bean leaf beetles or SDS, a seed treatment could be a game changer. Remember that seed treatments only last so long to protect against early season SCN, insects and seedling blights.

• What’s the Optimal Seeding Rate?

Determining the best soybean seeding rate requires a careful balance between agronomic yield potential and economic outcomes. The optimal economic seeding rate is between 100,000 and 150,000 seeds per acre. Start with a strategy of one bag of seeds per acre (which is usually 140,000 seeds per acre for most companies, but not all), and adjust for field conditions as well as predicted weather conditions. Generally, if planting season is delayed, you will want to consider boosting your seeding rate accordingly.

• Do I Need Pre-Emergent Herbicides?

Having a solid pre-emergent strategy in place is vital, but several factors come into play, such as application timing, soil type and weather conditions. Ideally, these herbicides should be applied just before the target weeds emerge, followed by 1" to 2" of rain to activate them. Soybean variety response to herbicides can be different, and they could respond negatively to some active ingredients. That could lead to a risk of injury. Some companies might provide herbicide sensitivity ratings.

• How Dependable is Specific Demand?

Based on growing demand, but depending on your local market opportunities, you might want to seriously consider producing a marketable amount of new soybeans developed for a specific market. These include soybeans with higher oil content or high oleic acid, non-GMO soybeans, or soybeans for specialized livestock feed markets that are higher in protein levels and lower in antinutritional factors. Soybeans with high oil content are gaining attention because of increasing demand for oil. Soybeans are also being grown for different oil varieties, such as high oleic that claims greater stability and increased sustainability without risking yield. Make sure any premium you receive for the soybeans will more than cover any increased cost of the specialized seed. It should also cover specific production requirements you might be asked to follow, such as maintaining identity preservation. This is a decision your farm business must make based on ROI.

As we continue to explore the intricacies of soybean seed, here are a few more tips to consider:

• Inoculants:

While it was historically believed to be unnecessary unless soybeans hadn’t been planted in a field for four or five years, consider testing out biologicals and inoculating, especially in challenging soil conditions.

• For SCN Resistance:

Although all soybean varieties sold in Illinois are bred for SCN resistance, most consist of PI 88788. SCN has learned to adapt to this and survive it. In light of this, the University of Illinois is providing free testing for SCN funded by ISA. Illinois growers can take advantage of this offer until Aug. 31.