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The NDSU Extension weekly podcast In the Pod: Soybean Updates delivers timely insights and expert advice on soybean production.
You're listening to In The Pod, Soybean Updates, a weekly trek into the latest soybean information from NDSU Extension. The soybean crops in the North Central Part of North Dakota are due for a check-in. Leo Bortolon, NDSU research agronomist, has an update. Leo, how did planting go in your area?
Leo Bortolon:North Dakota has a very challenging environment. So I'm here in my fifth or sixth growing season, and every year is different. Every year, we have a different challenge. This year, we started with a kind of a dry spring in terms of amount of rain. Last year in 2025, we got three inches above average. We've got from July, September, October, November. That helps to refill our soup soil, which is very important for us here. When our spring started, in April itself, we got 20 hundreds of of rain compared to 1.5 inches of rain historically. In May itself, we got 1.4 inches of rain compared to 2.4 inches of rain. We had a very good seedbed condition for a while. It was colder north of mine on Mohawk area or up north, sometimes way more water in the soil. The farmers couldn't get in early. At one point, we started with planting the dust and hoping for the rain, so a lot of like capillary rise moisture helped the plants to germinate. For the soybeans, it was a little challenging because the soil temperature was cold and cold and cold, below 50 for several weeks. Around May 14, at least here at the research center, we started to monitor that start to, go up. We were able to put the soybeans on the ground. In that particular conditions, we've had increasing soil temperature. Daily temperature is pretty good too and colder nights. So that helps for the soybeans to progress. Another concern we've had is about the moisture because soybeans is oil seeds. So we don't want that seed staying on the ground for so long without germinating or in the cold weather because it starts to deteriorate and also because of the diseases. After May 1415, the soil temperature start to ramp up and good conditions start to develop.
Bruce Sundeen:Farmers had trouble getting early planting done. What happened?
Leo Bortolon:What we always recommend, try to get into the soil as early as possible. This year wasn't possible. In terms of moisture, we were okay. We could get in, but the problem was low soil temperature. So that prevented us to get in early. But most of the farmers, they were able to get in May 14, and I believe a couple of farmers wrapped up last week and especially in sandy soils. So I can see a couple of farmers are still wrapping up soybeans in the area.
Bruce Sundeen:How are the soybeans currently doing?
Leo Bortolon:If you look at the recommended planting dates, we might be a little behind. But if you look at the soil conditions coupled with all the the ideal conditions to put the soybeans on the ground, I think we're in the right path. We've had several challenges especially to weed control. It was very windy, very windy. May 14, I think we've got kind of a dust bowl here. It was terrible. I never seen something like I've seen here in Minot. Windy days were pretty common. We've had probably three to four days suitable for spray, and that plays a very challenge for the farmers to cover a lot of ground. In my condition here in Minot, we already have wheat at the time to be sprayed for post. And then you still need to do some soybean applications. If you are a farm in situation that I have, if you have thirty days wheat and then you are still doing soybeans, how can you balance that logistically? So you need to choose which one I'm gonna spray. I'm gonna delay the wheat or I'm gonna put down my pre's and burn down, and it's challenging because of the wind as of now here.
Bruce Sundeen:Leo, how far along are the soybeans, and how does the future look?
Leo Bortolon:The crops right now, I would say between emergence, VC, and V one. I can predict a very good crop this year based off the current conditions. If we are blessed enough to get the rain that makes our crop in July and August and September, I think we should be good.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Leo. Our guest has been Leo Bortolon, NDSU Research Agronomist. You're listening to In The Pod, Soybean Updates, a weekly trek into the latest soybean information from NDSU Extension supported by the North Dakota Soybean Council.