Director of Research, Iowa Soybean Association

Investments by soybean farmers into soybean research are paying off in a really BIG way. Scientists at Michigan State University reported that the economic threshold of 250 aphids/plant for managing soybean aphids, a threshold developed using soybean checkoff dollars, will save farmers $1.3 billion over a 15 year period.  The information collected from the checkoff-funded sentinel plot system saves farmers $200 to $300 million annually.

That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering results.

And that’s just the beginning.  University soybean breeders have been working to develop soybeans with improved resistance to sudden death syndrome for nearly a decade.  Their efforts paid off in 2008 and farmers will soon have maturity group II soybeans with greatly improved resistance to an increasingly problematic disease.

Much of this work has been funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) a farmer led organization that strives to maximize the profitability of soybean production by investing in research that improves soybean health.

“We get work done because we work together,” says outgoing president Jerry Wyse, a seedsman and farmer from Haven, Kansas. “We focus on solving problems that are important to all soybean producers. We prioritize the important projects higher than those that are urgent.”

One of the important problems to solve is minimizing yield loss from the soybean aphid, a pest that can cause a 40 percent yield loss when left uncontrolled. NCSRP is thinking big when it comes to managing this tiny little bug.

Stable, genetic resistance is the panacea for yield loss from all diseases and insects. That’s why NCSRP is enabling scientists to discover and evaluate genes that can build the plant’s natural defense against an invasion of an army of aphids. The first soybean varieties with genetic resistance to the aphid will be available to farmers in 2010. The first resistance genes were discovered by USDA scientists with funding from the United Soybean Board.

Other farmer-supported research programs have discovered new genes to sustain plant health even after attack from diseases such as phytophthora root and stem rot and soybean viruses. The future of soybean production appears less problematic.

Midwest soybean farmers once feared Asian soybean rust, an invasive fungal pathogen that threatened the entire North American soybean production system. In response, an internationally conceived, proactive management team has created a precision monitoring system, a coordinated education, information and training network, and a comprehensive research effort. Because of their efforts, farmers are realizing up to $300 million in savings every year by targeting crop protection only where it is needed.

This achievement is made possible by a commitment to work together, pool resources and remain diligent. The current disease threat is closely monitored, while disease management tactics are researched through studies at numerous land grant institutions, and by industry. It’s a sustainable approach that keeps the soybean industry profitable, vibrant and productive.

That’s your soybean checkoff. Delivering results.

Dr. David L. Wright

*Content Funded by the Soybean Checkoff