Event-Write Ups:
Better Beans Total Attendance: 410 producers and agronomists
Better Beans Carlyle, IL
The Better Beans Series event in Carlyle was held on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, at the Bretz Wildlife Lodge and Winery. The event was brought to producers by the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program in partnership with the CCA Soy Envoy program, Bassett Farm & Seed and Droste Family Seeds. The event was well attended by area farmers and industry professionals. Speakers provided useful information for increasing soybean production in 2019 and beyond.

Terry Wyciskalla, Wyciskalla Consulting, LLC, started the morning with a discussion on nutrient management recommendations for raising 80+ bushel soybeans. Mark Bernards, Ph.D., Western Illinois University, engaged the audience by challenging them to “think like a weed” and offered weed control recommendations. Kelli Bassett, CCA Soy Envoy, provided information about identification and management of Dectes stem borer.

Gary Schnitkey, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), challenged attendees to be resilient in 2019 and beyond and recognize the keys to farm profitability. The program concluded with a question and answer session with a panel of local agronomic experts and soybean producers.

Panel members included Scott Eversgerd, agronomist, Pioneer Seed; ISA District Director Nick Harre, Nashville, Ill. soybean producer; and ASA Director Dave Droste, Nashville, Ill. soybean producer; and was moderated by Kriste Droste of Droste Family Seeds. Following the program, attendees enjoyed lunch from Bretz Wildlife Lodge and Winery and networked with the agriculture industry representatives onsite in the exhibitor space.

Better Beans Rockford, Illinois

The Better Beans Series event in Rockford was held on Thursday, January 17, 2019, at the Giovanni’s Restaurant & Convention Center. The event was brought to producers by the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program in partnership with the CCA Soy Envoy program and Dairyland Seed. Speakers provided useful information for increasing soybean production in 2019 and beyond to area farmers and industry professionals.

Rod Moran, Soybean Lead at Dairyland Seed, started the morning with a discussion on the importance of fundamentals to a systemic soybean approach. Gary Schnitkey, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, shared the keys to profitability with the audience and encouraged resilience in 2019. Schnitkey was followed by Tryston Beyrer, Agronomist with Winfield United, who shared six secrets to improving soybean yields.

The program concluded with a question and answer session about viable solutions in soybean production with a panel of local agronomic experts and soybean producers.
Panel members included Lenny Doetch, soybean producer from Poplar Grove; P.J. Rosenow, grower from Erie; Dan Ritter, agronomist with Dairyland Seed; and was moderated by CCA Soy Envoy Rod Moran. Following the program, attendees enjoyed lunch and networked with the agriculture industry representatives onsite in the exhibitor space.

Better Beans Quincy, Illinois

The third Better Bean Series (BBS) event of the 2019 season was held on Wednesday, February 13, in Quincy, Illinois. The event was sponsored by the Illinois Soybean Association and soybean checkoff program, in partnership with Prairieland FS, Inc. The goal of the BBS is to “go local,” and bring soybean management information to growers where they live and farm.

The program was filled with useful information and featured expert speakers and panelists. The program included:
• Determining your high yield equation for soybeans with Dan Maggart, Agronomic Services Manager, Prairieland FS, Inc.
• Setting the foundation for yield success with Lance Tarochione, Technical Agronomist, Bayer Crop Sciences
• Keys to profitability: Resilience in 2019 and Beyond from Gary Schnitkey, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Producer and expert panel moderated by Rich Archer, Agronomy Marketing Manager, Prairieland FS, Inc.
Maggart reviewed how growers must determine their own soybean higher yield equation by understanding their limitations and searching out better practices. His comments focused on the importance of regular soil testing, paying attention to soil pH and fertility, fertilizing each crop independently and planting the soybean crop earlier and in narrow rows (< 30 in.) to capture more sunlight. He encouraged attendees to visit the GROWMARK FS MiField™ website to download the latest research reports for the west central region.

Tarochione said, “Soybean yield potential begins with setting the stage for yield success.” He added that at the end of the season it was the number of pods per acre that determines final yield. However, many can end up being aborted. “Soybeans are ‘source limited’ and they can produce more pods than they can ever support. And growers must manage late season stresses in August that lead to pod abortion and yield loss.”

Tarochione explained growers need to know what factors are robbing their yield and learn to defend against them. And protecting the variety begins with the seed. Today, growers are spending more money on seed treatments than varieties cost 8- to 10-years ago and adding foliar fungicides on top of that,” he said. He lamented that all of today’s high yield practices lead to plants that stay healthier longer, and can result in a more difficult harvest.

Gary Schnitkey, Ph.D., reviewed the challenges of achieving profitability in 2019 after coming out of 2018 with high yields, fare commodity prices and MFP payments—particularly on soybeans. He said that one of the things going for Illinois growers is that their corn and soybean yields are running 6.6 bushels above the U.S. trendline. However high costs and low commodity prices will put pressure on profitability this year. For 2019 Schnitkey offered these suggestions, with the caution that every farm production is different:
• Build working capital of $300 per acre
• Forgo capital investments in 2019
• Purchase high levels of revenue-based crop insurance
• Propose cash flow based on $3.60 corn and $8.50 soybeans
• Use either 5-year average yields or crop insurance-based approved yield
• Start marketing new crop early
• Communicate with landowners about current price and expense pressures
• Consider your acre allocation for 2019 in determining farm profitability
The day ended with Rich Archer leading a very interesting panel discussion that included Dusty Morrow, agronomist with Prairieland FS, Inc., John Thomas, Pike County producer, and Darren Sims, Adams County producer. Some topics discussed include:
• Planting soybeans early and/or at the same time as corn
• Choose a full seed treatment
• Adopting a second planter
• Fertilize soybeans separate from corn
• Adopting a full fertility program, including the right micronutrients and sulfur
• Weed control begins with choosing the right trait and layering residuals

Better Beans Peoria, Illinois
The fourth Better Bean Series (BBS) for the 2019 season was held Feb. 19, 2019 in Peoria, Ill. The event was sponsored by the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and American Farmland Trust (AFT). The goal of the event was to look at the sustainability and profitability of modern soybean production for growers who adopt conservation practices.
Today’s food companies and consumers are increasingly looking for food that is nutritious, safe and produced sustainably without any lasting impact on our environment. And today’s growers are good stewards of the land and resources they manage, which sustains them and their families.
Amy Roady, Director of Communications with ISA, said “The association strives to help soybean farmers adopt sustainable practices that are profitable for the soybean producer, help protect the environment, and meet supply chain and customer needs. We are committed to collaborating with others and leveraging our resources to meet these goals. This includes helping producers use and adopt technology that can benefit their farm businesses.”
Roberta Simpson Dolbeare, ISA District 12 Director and Member of the USFRA Board of Directors, talked about the importance of stewardship and sustainability to farmers and consumers. She pointed out sustainably produced soybeans are better for the environment, following good stewardship leaves this world better for the next generation, and both are just good business. And she cited continuous improvement in sustainability by American farmers today who grow 46% more soybeans than 30 years ago, with an accompanying decrease in irrigation, soil loss and energy by 33%, 47% and 35%, respectively. She listed five avenues to address our future food systems:
1. Collaboration with Farmers: Opportunity to engage with the entire food value chain
2. Nourish the Global Population: Meeting nutritional needs of a diverse population
3. Recognize Food as a Natural Resource: Reduce the amount of food waste
4. Mitigation/Adaptation: Cognizant of natural resource constraints while improving production efficiencies
5. Agriculture is a Solution for Ecosystem Services: Solve for climate-smart solutions
Kris Reynolds with American Farmland Trust reviewed conservation practices that improve sustainability in soybean production. He listed some benefits: ephemeral erosion has been cut by 50% since 2001 along with a decline in phosphate and nitrate losses from the landscape. However no-till soybean acreage declined from 50% in 2006 to 30% in 2018, resulting in more erosion (T-Value) because of bigger rain events and less soil coverage.
To manage nutrients in the environment Reynolds recommends growers adopt no-till/strip-till, cover crops and broader crop rotations with more crop diversity. He emphasized that the five principles for improving soil health are maximizing biodiversity, having living roots in the ground all year round, armoring the soil with cover (residue and cover crops), minimizing soil disturbance and adding livestock to the rotation.
Reynolds concluded by stating “A Conservation Cropping System is a suite of practices that work synergistically to replenish soil life and restore organic matter to agricultural soils. Over time these improvements increase nutrient efficiency and farm profitability, reduce sediment and nutrient losses, and make farms more resilient to extreme weather conditions.”
Dr. Gary Schnitkey reviewed the challenges of achieving profitability in 2019 after coming off 2018 with high yields, fair commodity prices and Market Facilitation Payments (MFP), particularly on soybeans that received an additional $1.65 per bushel. He said one of the things going for Illinois growers is their corn and soybean yields are running 20 and 6.5 bushels above the U.S. trendline, respectively. However, high costs and low commodity prices will put pressure on profitability in 2019.

Schnitkey is involved with a Precision Crop Management (PCM) project involving 200 farmers across 16 counties and 200,000 acres in Illinois. They looked at the economic benefit of adopting conservation practices.
• One till pass produced greater profitability than no-till or multiple tillage passes
• Strip-till was as profitable as one pass tillage
• MRTN (Maximum Return To N) was 183 lbs./A. N rates greater than 183 lbs. did not increase yield and greatest profitability was achieved at MRTN from 151 to 175 lbs.
• Cover crops and no-till did not reduce soybean yield and increased profitability
A panel discussion on viable solutions for sustainable soybean production concluded the event. Participants included Ivan Dozier, NRCS state conservationist; Kris Reynolds, agronomist, American Farmland Trust; Brian Corkill, producer, Galva in Henry County; and Andrew Reuschel, producer, Golden in Adams County.
Soy Summit Attendance: 280 Soybean Producers and Agronomists
Soy Summit, Springfield, Illinois Event Write-Up:
Over 280 growers, advisers and industry professionals gathered Feb. 4, 2019 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, Illinois for a day of learning and growth. Bryce Knorr, senior analyst with Farm Futures, kicked the 2019 Soybean Summit off with a look at the 2018 and 2019 soybean market.

Knorr noted that the historically high stock supply of soybeans, created by six years in a row of record harvests, will continue to lead to low soybean prices this year. Additionally, China’s reduced demand due to a slowing economy, tariffs and African Swine fever in their hog population will impact U.S. soybean prices.

Knorr shared positive news that there is not a debt crisis on American farms like there was in the 1980s. However, the present profit crisis means the best way to be profitable in the current climate is to increase yields and not from the market.

Following Knorr was second keynote speaker, Sean Arians from Graincoat, LLC. Arians message for listeners included evaluating risk tolerance in the three types of technology: business, agronomic and equipment. Each person has different levels of tolerance across each type. Arians also reminded growers to be patient when trying a new technology and communicate with experts to work out the kinks.

After Arians, the group split into breakout sessions for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Breakout topics included:
• Using Technology to Improve Nutrient Management and Water Quality – Terry D. Wyciskalla, Wyciskalla Consulting, LLC
• Finding Which Resource is Holding Your Soybeans Back – John McGillibuddy, McGillicuddy Corrigan Agronomics
• The Use of Micronutrients, Biostiumulants and Plant Growth Regulators to Increase Yields in Soybeans – Brian Haschemeyer, Brandt Specialty Formulations Division
• The New Era of Aerial Imagery – Ivan A. Dozier, Intellinair
• Keys to Producing 80- to 100-bushel Soybeans Consistently – Dan Bjorklund, Maxyield Cooperative
• Soybean Management Lessons Learned from the Illinois Yield Challenge Results – Dan Davidson and Bob Wells, Illinois Soybean Association
• Translating Data into Information Using AI Within Crop Production – John Fulton, The Ohio State University
• Harnessing Data to Make More Profitable Management Decisions – Landon Frye, Granular Inc.
Attendees came back together at the end of the day to listen to a Farmer Q&A session with growers Ken Franklin and Jerry Gaffner and consultants Kelli Bassett and Kris Ehler. The panel’s message for the audience was that soybeans are more resilient than people have given them credit for. Soybeans can be planted earlier than though possible and in cooler soil temps without negative defect.