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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 cold and wet conditions are keeping soybean farmers out of the field. Are there ways around it? Jeff Stachler, NDSU Extension cropping system specialist, has some answers. Jeff, how are the planting conditions around the Carrington area?
Jeff Stachler:We got lulled into this good spell last week about the twenty second and twenty third when we hit over 50 degrees, but now we're back to in the forties again. Soybeans really shouldn't be planted until the soil temperatures are 50 degrees or warmer. Since I cover mostly the South Central and Southeast parts, we know that we're cold yet at this point in time. Many places are still wet. We have to consider soil conditions as well before we even can consider planting. So right now, it's too wet, too cold to plant soybeans. Leave them in the bag.
Bruce Sundeen:The forecast looks cool and wet.
Jeff Stachler:Yes. Unfortunately, that's what it's looking like middle of next week to the beginning of the next, and temperatures are not gonna go much higher than what they are right now, unfortunately.
Bruce Sundeen:Jeff, is there a strategy to plant before the rain even though the soil temp isn't there?
Jeff Stachler:A couple of things to consider. First of all, as long as the soil conditions are fit, we don't want to mud it in. As long as the soil conditions are fit, we could plant. If we decide to plant, we must use the best fungicide seed treatments for the seed as possible because the colder the wetter the soils, the longer it takes for those seeds to come up, the longer they're exposed to pathogens in the soil to inhibit the plants from germinating or even causing disease later in the season. We need to have the best seed treatments possible. However, they only last eighteen to twenty one days. We've got to watch that. The only other thing that we have to watch about, Bruce, North Dakota is we never know when we're going to get hit with a late May frost. If the soybeans are up, they are susceptible to freezing temperatures. Then we have to start all over again if that happens. However, based on the current forecast I see, we won't have that problem. But you know it can change.
Bruce Sundeen:How do these conditions affect weed management?
Jeff Stachler:The problem is that many of us, mostly due to soil conditions not being too wet to plant, but also then you add the cold temperatures, we're going to be pushed to plant as fast as we can. However, we have such an issue with waterhemp and kochia throughout much of the state. The waterhemp, especially in the Eastern Half, is a huge problem and kochia is mostly a problem from I-ninety 4 to the North, we've got to get those controlled. The only way we can do the best job at managing kochia and waterhemp is to apply the most effective, most sites of actions of pre emergence herbicides to help us. That doesn't solve the problem. That just gives us a good foundation to be successful at the end of the year. Your question is we have to stop the planter and make sure we put the pre emergence herbicides on and not keep the planter rolling. Another option is to consider lining up the local retailers to apply your pre emergent herbicides so that you can keep planting. That's another opportunity, but if everybody chooses that the retailers are going to be overwhelmed. We only have so many days to get the pre's on depending upon the temperature. The colder the temperature, the longer the period we have to apply because the soybeans aren't growing very fast. But if we get into a warm spell, then the soybeans are going to emerge quickly and you have only a few days to that pre emergence on before you injure the soybean. There are some things to consider about that. The biggest thing is you've got to have a pre emergence herbicide on soybeans or you've got no chance at controlling weeds. And that means you're gonna have to stop the planter and take that time to put it on.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Jeff. Our guest has been Jeff Stachler, NDSU Extension cropping system specialist. 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.