2012 Michigan Soybean Performance Report is available

Michigan soybean producers can improve soybean yields and profitability by utilizing the information contained in the Michigan Soybean Performance Report when selecting varieties for 2013.

Selecting the best adapted soybean varieties for your farm is one of the most profitable decisions you will make. To ensure that you are selecting the best adapted and highest yielding varieties for your farm, you should utilize three sources of information:

  1. The Michigan Soybean Performance Report
  2. Seed suppliers
  3. Your own on-farm variety trials/comparisons.

If you are not utilizing any one of these sources of information, you are reducing the probability of selecting the best-adapted and highest-yielding varieties for your farm.

Most soybean agronomists agree that evaluating variety performance data from as many different environments as possible is essential to selecting top performing varieties. The Michigan Soybean Performance Report is an excellent resource for comparing the yield, lodging, maturity and white mold tolerance of soybean varieties across multiple locations and years. The report is updated annually and the 2012 report is available now from local Michigan State University Extension county offices or on-line at the MSU Variety Trials website. The report will also be published in the Michigan Farm News and mailed directly to Michigan soybean producers courtesy of the Michigan Soybean Checkoff.

Also available online is a searchable database for the Michigan Soybean Performance Report. The searchable database enables soybean producers to input specific search criteria such as soybean cyst nematode resistance, phytophthora resistance and maturity. The highest-yielding varieties having the selected characteristics will be identified and listed from top to bottom by yield. The 2012 data will be added to the searchable database in early December.

Soybean quality (oil and protein content) will become an important issue to Michigan soybean producers as China, the largest soybean importer, is demanding soybeans that contain at least 19 percent oil and 35 percent protein on a 13 percent moisture basis. Michigan is widely recognized along with Indiana and Ohio for delivering high protein soybeans to international buyers. However, we struggle to consistently produce soybeans containing 19 percent oil. Variety selection is the most reliable way to increase the oil content of your soybean crop so consider this information when identifying potential varieties for 2013. The Michigan Soybean Performance Report lists the oil and protein contents of all the entries.

Remember that gathering and evaluating information from a variety of sources is essential to selecting high-yielding soybean varieties and the 2012 Michigan Soybean Performance Report should be one of these sources.

This article was produced by the SMaRT project (Soybean Management and Research Technology). The SMaRT project was developed to help Michigan producers increase soybean yields and farm profitability. The Smart project is a partnership between MSU Extension and the Michigan Soybean Checkoff program.

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