If given the chance to select the research that would help you most on your farm, what would it be?

Mississippi soybean farmers now have that chance.

The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB) is encouraging soybean farmers from around the state to share the problems and issues they face in the field, either noticed for the first time this season or those faced year to year. MSPB plans to use the input to aid the selection of research projects funded in the upcoming year.

“We want to hear from farmers in our state about the issues they face in planting, harvesting, irrigation and weed control,” says Jimmy Sneed, MSPB chairman and farmer from Hernando. “The checkoff invests farmers’ dollars, so we want their input on what kind of research needs to be conducted.”

Farmers can submit ideas through the MSPB website, http://mssoy.org.
 
MSPB places a strong emphasis on conducting research, allocating the majority of its budget each year to research projects. Some recent projects funded by MSPB include corn earworm and soybean looper management; glyphosate-resistant weeds and other weed control issues; and the management and ecology of stink bugs in Mississippi soybeans.

“MSPB continually proves its dedication to the success of Mississippi soybean farmers through research conducted each year,” says MSPB Research & Technology Transfer Coordinator Larry Heatherly, Ph.D. “More than 38 research projects were funded by MSPB in 2012, and each one was selected because the farmer-directors believed that the research would benefit soybean farmers. We aim to fund additional high-quality projects in 2013.”