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Production Stories

Land Costs:
January 1, 2012 1:00 am | 0 comments
As farmland prices set new records, Ray Gaesser, an American Soybean Association director from Corning, is worried.“I was adding up some budgets and looking at the cost of production for next year,” he says. “Recent rent auctions are alarming,...
 
Biodiesel Celebrates Record Year, Braces for Uncertain Future
January 1, 2012 1:00 am | 0 comments
The biodiesel industry has shown its resilience through some turbulent, uncertain times, and at the end of last year, it was soaring. Ever since the federal tax credit was reinstated under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Renewable Fuel...
 
Planting Seeds Around the World:
January 1, 2012 1:00 am | 0 comments
Though it may be stating the obvious that export markets are incredibly important to soybean growers, and China is by far the largest market with 895 billion bushels of whole soybeans exported in 2011, what may not be as apparent is where the other...
 
Speedy Soybean Breeding
January 1, 2012 1:00 am | 0 comments
There is much talk about meeting growing global demand for protein – with soybeans playing a major role in feeding the world – but decisions by the soybean farmers of Iowa that began with a big idea from a young soybean breeder have made a marked...
 
Tools of the Trade
January 1, 2012 1:00 am | 0 comments
Farmers are mobile and so are their offices, most of the time.  Smart phones, laptops, iPads and other technology make it possible for farmers to do business on the go.  But the importance of the home office is still as relevant today as...
 
Is Last Year’s Data Helpful for Next Year?
January 1, 2012 1:00 am | 0 comments
When making management decisions for another year, it is always good to look at the results of research from previous years. When trying to interpret the results of a single year, you should account for the impact of the weather from that year and...
 
Watershed Planning
December 1, 2011 1:00 am | 0 comments
Almost 20 years ago, the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) Board of Directors began engaging a mounting challenge: to improve both agricultural production and water quality. Adding environmental performance to their mission led to establishment and...
 
Clean Bean Benefits
December 1, 2011 1:00 am | 0 comments
It’s widely recognized that early weed competition can take a mighty bite out of soybean yields.  Iowa State University weed scientist Bob Hartzler calculated that every day’s delay in weed control after the one- or two-trifoliate stage of...
 
Top Tips
December 1, 2011 1:00 am | 0 comments
There are many ways to take care of your soybean fields and produce the best results. Here, Dr. David Wright, ISA director of contract research, shares his top 10 guidelines for healthy, high yielding soybean production.1. Get to the root of it!...
 
Plan Now for 2012: Crop Input Evaluations
December 1, 2011 1:00 am | 0 comments
With harvest behind you and the end of the year fast approaching, you’re probably thinking about prepaying for 2012 crop production inputs. Before you write the check, you need to do a little pencil pushing to determine which of the inputs you’ve...