Pioneer agronomist Paul Hermans is challenging farmers to consider all three when developing a seed selection plan for their soybean crop.

WHY IT MATTERS: Efficient soybean planting strategies can maximize yield and help mitigate the risk of white mould in some regions.

Seeding rate decisions are based on achieving both agronomic and economic optimum output. Hermans says crop success is influenced by several factors, including yield environment variability such as soil type, management zones and water-holding capacity.

Adjusting the planting date can also affect performance, with earlier planting increasing node and pod development. Hermans recommends planting as early as conditions allow to maximize yield potential.

During his research trials, Hermans said he and his team wanted to determine the if adjusting the planting date would have an impact on yields. The team did a soybean planting between May 1 and 7, then repeated the same trials 14 days later.

“On average we got three to five bushels more yield,” he said.

Hermans and his team also conducted a study in 2024 in eastern Ontario following a severe white mould outbreak in 2023. The trial evaluated the effect of seeding rate on soybean yield in Eastern Canada. He noted that in 2024, white mould pressure remained low.

In eastern Ontario, white mould, also known as sclerotinia stem rot, is playing a larger role in determining seeding rate decisions.

“White mould is a big disease factor, so we look at reducing populations to help combat it,” he said.

He encourages growers to contact their local representatives to help determine the right rate for their specific fields.

Defining soybean seeding rates

Traditionally, high-productivity fields require a lower seeding rate.

Research conducted by Hermans and his team revealed that results from local variety plots showed yields were generally about five bushels per acre higher than average.

The research found that adequate moisture during and immediately after planting allowed for excellent stand establishment, averaging 90 per cent of the seeding rate. Adequate rainfall throughout the growing season, especially in August, supported those higher yields.

It also demonstrated that growers should adjust seeding rates based on yield environment, crop rotation, residue cover, tillage practices and planting date.

If results fall short, Hermans says growers should consider replanting at the V2 (second trifoliate) stage in late May or early June. He believes replant risk can be reduced with good soil fertility. Research has shown a correlation between yield and potassium levels.

Potassium regulates stomatal opening and closing, controlling how the plant uses water. Soybeans require about 50 per cent moisture content to germinate, compared with 30 per cent for corn. Planting depth can also influence moisture availability.

He noted that planters typically provide more consistent depth than drills, but yield data shows only about a half-bushel advantage with a planter.

Yield level affects attrition

Higher-yield environments can lead to greater plant attrition. Hermans believes yield environment is the most critical factor in setting soybean populations.

During his research trials, Hermans discovered that as yield potential increases, soybean populations can be reduced due to larger plants and more nodes per plant, which lead to more pods per acre.

His team found that yield at the 80,000 seeds-per-acre rate was significantly lower than at 160,000, but neither differed significantly from the 120,000 rate.

The research also showed that the average number of pods per plant at the lowest seeding rate was more than double that at the highest rate — making it clear that pod number was the yield component playing the greatest role in compensating for lower plant populations.

Hermans urges farmers to watch for uneven emergence, noting a three-day planting delay can translate into a one-day later harvest.

“So if you plant three weeks beyond mid-May, expect a one-week-later harvest,” he said, adding that soil crusting and heavy residue can prevent even emergence.

He noted that today’s soybean varieties are more robust and branch more than those grown 15 to 20 years ago. Ideally, growers should target two million nodes per acre to achieve high yields.

“I always tell growers that two-thirds of your yield comes from the number of seeds you’re taking off per acre, and one-third comes from seed size,” he said.

Hermans said balancing plant population and growth depends on the yield environment. Limitations become more pronounced with later planting, reducing growth potential.

“It’s best to have beans flowering by July 1 to capture as much sunlight as possible during the reproductive phase, which drives seed size,” he said.

Applying a variable-rate seeding strategy

Variable-rate technology can maximize profit per acre while reducing seed costs. It is also an efficient way to manage soybean populations across different yield and moisture-holding environments within a field.

With spring planting approaching, Hermans encourages farmers to take a measured approach to soybean planting. He recommends using variable-rate technology to adjust seeding rates across a field based on soil conditions and yield potential, improving performance and efficiency.

“Don’t push when conditions are not ideal. Don’t mud the crop in,” he said. “Watch planting depth and manage residue with row cleaners.”

The post Early planting, even emergence key to unlocking soybean yields appeared first on Farmtario.

An announcement from Corteva Agriscience about its Pioneer brand Z-Series soybeans may provide growers with options to drive yields and productivity even further. The series has 20 varieties available in limited quantities; 16 in Eastern Canada and four in Western Canada.

Why it matters: Soybean growers have been losing yield in the past 10 years due to increasing disease pressure and herbicide-resistant weed biotypes.

Pioneer says the new series, which will also be available in the U.S., offers a yield boost of 2.7 bu./ac. compared to A-Series varieties. The Z-Series carries the E3 (Enlist) trait and comes with an enhanced disease tolerance package and improved agronomics for better emergence and standability.

“It’s a yield jump and it’s a step change over the A-Series,” says Chad Garrod, eastern seeds portfolio manager with Corteva Agriscience.

“Our breeders saw this in the genetics several years ago, that there’s something truly different, and that’s why we’re making this new series.”

Unlike other product launches, this one has the same timeline in both Canada and the U.S., and Garrod says availability will depend on a grower’s location. A full commercial launch for 2025 will come later this year. The introduction also completes Corteva’s herbicide tolerance transition to a lineup of only E3 soybean varieties.

“It depends on where you are in Ontario (or Canada) and the weeds you have, but waterhemp is a big problem in certain areas while in others, it’s fairly new,” says Garrod.

“The U.S. has been fighting these resistant and hard-to-control weeds for five to 10 years, depending on their location. They’re getting this technology at the same time we are, except we can get ahead of these weeds.”

New varieties can give growers more options for in-crop applications while following the recommendations for proper pest management, featuring multiple modes of action.

It’s one thing to go in early but resistant biotypes of waterhemp and Canada fleabane can germinate throughout the year and the Enlist E3 trait gives more in-crop options for weed control with tolerance to 2,4-D choline, glufosinate and glyphosate.

The disease profile

The other challenge to soybean production comes from a quartet of diseases with soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and sudden death syndrome (SDS) posing annual threats for a growing portion of Ontario. In 2023, white mould (sclerotinia) and Phytophthora root rot were issues in many parts of the province.

Garrod says this is where the Z-Series has added strength, with enhanced tolerance to six diseases, including the Peking source for SCN, SDS, white mould and Phytophthora. The other two — brown stem rot and iron deficiency chlorosis — are of little concern to Ontario growers.

“On the disease side with SCN, seven of those 20 varieties that we’re launching in Canada have the Peking source,” says Garrod.

“The others above 0.5 maturity rating have an SCN option. Part of the recommendation to control SCN is rotating the sources of resistance, so you have that option with this series. Then on the agronomic side, our breeders talked about emergence and harvestability and their improved ratings, so you’re not just getting one (property), you’re getting the yield, the agronomics, the disease package and the E3 trait.”

The post Latest soybean series claims boost in more than yield appeared first on Farmtario.

The Danish firm announced Wednesday it had acquired Corteva’s global alfalfa germplasm and breeding program for an undisclosed sum, including its current commercial alfalfa varieties and their trademarks such as Hi-Gest, Hi-Ton, Hi-Salt and msSuntra.

The deal, which took effect Sept. 1, also includes the Alforex Seeds brand name — which was set up in 2013 as the name of Dow AgroSciences’ alfalfa business, before that company’s 2017 merger with DuPont’s ag businesses into what’s now Corteva. DuPont had sold off its own previous alfalfa seed business in 2014.

DLF said Wednesday it will integrate the Corteva business into its own global research and development program and will also hire “select Corteva personnel supporting the alfalfa program” including research and development staff in the U.S. Midwest and Pacific Northwest.

On top of the products now sold via Alforex, DLF said it “intends to offer varieties comparable to (Corteva’s) Pioneer brand and Dairyland Seed brand alfalfa products when the business is fully transitioned after the 2024 season.”

Past that, DLF said its full commercial plans for the business “will be communicated to appropriate stakeholders in the near future.”

DLF said the deal also gives it “a robust platform of elite alfalfa genetics, an industry-leading brand portfolio and expanded market access.”

The Corteva portfolio, DLF said, offers a “diverse and proven alfalfa germplasm base and native trait pipeline with excellent yield potential, disease and pest resistance, winterhardiness and superior forage quality for both dormant and non-dormant markets.”

“We have consistently aimed to establish a strong presence in alfalfa across all our global markets, including North America,” DLF group CEO Soren Halbye said in a release. “Acquiring a renowned alfalfa research program presents a rare opportunity for DLF to significantly enhance our global position in alfalfa breeding and sales.”

Forage seed has been a relatively tiny chunk of Corteva’s global seed business, which is primarily in corn and soybeans and mainly in the North American market under the Pioneer and Brevant brands.

In the first half of 2023, Corteva’s “other” seed category — that is, forage and any other seed products besides either corn or oilseeds such as canola and soy — booked net sales of $288 million, out of $6.959 billion for the seed segment overall, down from $316 million out of $6.471 billion in first-half 2022.

DLF, whose Canadian arm is based at Lindsay, Ont., sells in the Canadian market today under the DLF and Mapleseed brand names.

It operated in the North American market under the name DLF Pickseed until last year, when it fully phased out a brand it had owned since buying Canadian firm Pickseed in 2013. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post DLF buys Corteva’s alfalfa seed business appeared first on Farmtario.

The company said Monday it began construction work earlier this month at Carmichael, about 65 km southwest of Swift Current, about three km south of the Trans-Canada Highway on the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline.

Expected to be ready by fall next year, the Carmichael elevator will have 46,000 tonnes of storage capacity with a loop track for handling 175 high cube-style rail cars, “high speed” receiving and loadout, and a “high capacity” grain cleaning system.

Once the new elevator is built, Richardson said, it will start construction on “crop inputs assets” at the site including a high-speed fertilizer blender and a 10,000-square foot warehouse, both to be up and running by fall 2023.

“Richardson has maintained a significant presence and loyal customer base in the southwestern part of the province and will continue to seek opportunities for improving operational efficiencies,” Tom Hamilton, Richardson’s senior vice-president for agribusiness operations, said in a release.

In the same area, Richardson already has a 29,920-tonne capacity elevator at Swift Current; a 19,000-tonne capacity elevator it bought from Viterra in 2013 at Maple Creek, about 70 km west of Carmichael; and a 31,900-tonne capacity elevator it bought from Agricore United in 2007 at Reed Lake, about 50 km east of Swift Current.

“With the addition of the new facility at Carmichael, we look to bridge our historical presence in the area with the realities of meeting our grower customers’ evolving business needs,” Hamilton said. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Richardson building new southwestern Saskatchewan elevator appeared first on Farmtario.

The Delaware-based agribusiness, under the name Corteva, Inc., is scheduled to begin “when-issued” trading on the NYSE on May 24, and “regular way” trading on June 3, under the ticker symbol “CTVA.”

DowDuPont — the holding company formed in 2017 by the merger of Dow and DuPont — announced Wednesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has declared Corteva’s registration statement effective, and that the DowDuPont board of directors has approved Corteva’s spinoff.

“This milestone marks the completion of all the regulatory requirements for us to separate into a leading pure-play independent agriculture company on June 1,” Corteva CEO James Collins said in a release.

“Corteva Agriscience is well positioned to drive long-term value for shareholders as we leverage our balanced portfolio and robust innovation pipeline to deliver the complete solution farmers need to maximize yield and profitability,”

The spinoff calls for each current shareholder in DowDuPont to receive one share of Corteva common stock for every three shares of DowDuPont common stock they hold.

DowDuPont on June 1 will also rename itself DuPont de Nemours, Inc., doing business under the name DuPont.

The new DuPont will operate the two companies’ combined specialty chemical product operations. Dow and DuPont’s combined materials science divisions, which were spun off in March, now operate under the Dow name.

Corteva’s operations in Canada include seeds, sold under the Pioneer and Brevant brand names, with herbicide-tolerant trait systems including Enlist, Optimum GLY, SmartStax and, since February, Clearfield.

Corteva’s roster of crop protection chemicals in the Canadian market includes, among others, herbicides such as Enlist Duo, Lontrel, Frontline, Grazon and Tordon; insecticides such as Lorsban and Delegate; seed treatments such as Lumiderm, Lumisena and Lumivia; and fungicides such as Acapela and Nova.

Worldwide, the Corteva agriculture segments have booked combined annual net sales of over US$14 billion in recent years. Their combined EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for 2018 came in at US$2.05 billion. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Corteva cleared for spinoff appeared first on Farmtario.

EU governments were asked to vote on the future of two grades of GM maize, Pioneer’s 1507 and Syngenta’s Bt11, which kill insects by producing their own pesticide and are also resistant to a particular herbicide.

However, the votes against were not decisive in blocking their introduction because the opposition did not represent a “qualified majority” — also including countries that make up at least 65 per cent of the EU population.

The governments were also asked to determine whether to extend authorization for Monsanto’s MON810, an insect-resistant maize that is grown mainly in Spain, but banned in a number of other counties.

More countries voted against than in favour, but again the vote was not considered decisive.

The European Commission said the outcome counted as a “no opinion,” meaning it would have to step in to take the decisions for GMs that had received favourable opinions from the European Food Safety Authority.

It added that 17 EU countries had used an opt-out clause, with a further two for part of their territories.

“In practice this means that the three GMOs, if and once authorized at EU level, will not in any case be cultivated on the territories benefiting from the opt out,” Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio said.

Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, said the decision now rested with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

“He can put himself on the side of the majority of countries, citizens and farmers who do not want genetically modified crops, or he can back the mega-corporations behind the industrialization of our countryside,” she said.

At the end of last year, 55 GM crops were approved for import as feed and food into Europe. While approved for human consumption, in practice the crops are used as animal feed.

Repeated EU scientific assessments have concluded that GMO crops are as safe for humans and the environment as their conventional counterparts, but consumer opposition to the technology in Europe remains strong.

MON810 is the only GM crop grown in Europe. A potato developed by BASF was granted approval in 2010, but the German company withdrew it in 2012.

— Reporting for Reuters by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels.

The post EU nations vote against GM crops, but not enough to block them appeared first on Farmtario.

The privately-held Winnipeg grain firm announced Thursday it will build a new Dauphin high-throughput elevator with 10,000 tonnes of storage capacity, linking into the site’s current steel bin storage space, bringing total capacity to 25,000 tonnes.

The project also involves boosting receiving and shipping speed to and from the steel bins to match the new elevator’s capacity. The completed site will also have a high-capacity grain dryer, cleaner and 104-car rail spot, the company said.

Work is expected to start at the Dauphin site in April, for completion in August 2016, the company said.

As a “continued delivery option” for farmers trucking grain to Richardson during that 16-month stretch, the company said it will also put up a temporary receiving and shipping system.

The current wooden crib elevator, a former Manitoba Pool Elevators facility with about 5,750 tonnes of storage capacity, will be demolished, the company said.

The Dauphin elevator, on the Canadian National Railway (CN) line, was one of 15 Prairie elevators Richardson bought in 2007 from Agricore United, as AU prepared for its sale to Saskatchewan Wheat Pool to form Viterra.

Richardson had planned, when it bought the elevator, to “upgrade and enhance” the facility, the company said Thursday.

“The Dauphin area is an important market for us and we have a solid, loyal customer base there,” Darwin Sobkow, Richardson’s executive vice-president for agribusiness operations and processing, said in the company’s release.

“This shows our long-term commitment to the area and ensures our ability to continue to serve our customers.” — AGCanada.com Network

The post Richardson to replace Dauphin elevator appeared first on Farmtario.