Are you doing all the things it would take to produce 100-bushel per acre soybeans.

The following are 15 steps that South Dakota State University and private industry experts say it would take to produce 100-bushel soybeans:

15 Steps To 100-bushel Per Acre Soybeans

1. Conduct on-farm research to optimize your production system.
2. Adopt a nutrient management program that increases soil test values.
3. Consider including fall/winter cover crops in the rotation.
4. Base your management decisions upon long-term data trends.
5. Keep trying to do better.
6. Learn about new products and pay attention to both the benefi ts and limitations.
7. Be a life-long learner.
8. Seed at an appropriate rate and avoid hair pinning seed into residue.
9. For irrigated soybean, sSelect varieties with high lodging resistance and low heights and conduct research to assess the relationship between population level and productivity.
10. Capture as much sunlight as possible. Keep in mind row spacing, planting date, variety, starter fertilizer and population level.
11. Use a proactive approach to control pests and minimize nutrient deficiencies.
12. Practice early weed management until the V3 stage of the soybean plants' development
13. Consider using an iron seed treatment in high pH soils containing lime.
14. Pay attention to details.
15. Till only when necessary and minimize soil compaction.

"No magic bullet exists that will result in 100 bushels of soybeans per acre," writes David Ricks, DuPont-Pioneer; Ron Christensen, Monsanto; and C. Gregg Carlson, SDSU in the opening chapter of the SDSU publication, "Best Management Practices For Soybeans."

"Reaching this goal will require the development of new, high yielding cultivars, as well as adopting site-specific management practices that optimize production efficiency," they says.

One way to test your soybean production program is to enter the South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest sponsored by the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and managed by the South Dakota Soybean Association. Look for details about the contest later this year or see www.soybean.org.

"Although 100-bu/acre yields may seem out of reach, increasing your yield several bushels per acre per year will put you there sooner than you think," they say.