More than 25 years of Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR) data indicates that one key to optimizing soybean yield over time is early planting.
Earlier planted soybeans will canopy faster and capture more sunlight throughout the growing season. Beck's PFR team also observed that earlier planted soybeans have more nodes per plant and a longer flowering window. This data highlights that when soybeans are planted early, they experience an 11 to 15-day longer flowering window compared to mid and late-planted soybeans.
But location does matter. For example, our 20-year planting date study in Indiana shows that April 16-30 is the ideal time to plant your soybeans. We compare that to our 6-year Minnesota data that shows the first half of May is the ideal time to plant soybeans.
See the data yourself:
2023 Indiana Soybean Planting Date Study
2023 Minnesota Soybean Planting Date Study
So, location matters but the trend is consistent: planting soybeans earlier pays. To dig even deeper, watch this recent episode of The Dig: Early Planting For Profitable Soybeans: Proven Tips for a High-Yielding Season. Aaron and Collin speak more on early planting, cover crop termination, and the power of planter box additives.
