INVESTING CHECKOFF DOLLARS
SOYBEANS ON TRIAL ISA On-Farm Network® replicated strip trials help farmers make informed cropping decisions BY MATTHEW WILDE
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here are multiple ways soybean farmers can reduce costs and earn more money, and the Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) On-Farm Network® has the data to prove it. Enhancing the profitability of producers is the primary goal of the On-Farm Network, director Scott Nelson says. Network regional agronomists and analytics experts work with farmers and industry stakeholders statewide to conduct onfarm replicated strip trials to evaluate and validate production practices. Nelson says data from several long-term soybean trials — seed
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population, fungicide, tillage, etc. — shows farmers can save money without sacrificing yields and possibly even enhance them. As many farmers struggle to mitigate losses or stay in the black due to the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, Nelson contends production research is vital to the bottom line. “We think in terms of lowering the cost to produce a bushel of soybeans,” Nelson says. “There are two ways to do so: reduce unnecessary inputs or significantly increase yield. Farmers statewide are doing just that by participating in
On-Farm Network research trials and utilizing results.” Data from hundreds of studies dating back to 2005 is available at iasoybeans.com under ISA Research. Farmers can’t control U.S. foreign policy or end the trade war with the world’s top soybean consumer, but they will make plenty of decisions that will directly affect 2019 soybean revenue potential. Dave Lubben, an ISA member from Monticello, says he and other farmers can’t afford to spend one extra dime on soybean inputs or production practices that don’t pay.
