As grain harvest nears the final stages across Ontario, many producers are considering the option of planting soybeans after the first harvest, which has already begun on some winter barley fields in the southwestern part of the province.
Farmer Ian Matheson of Embro, Ontario, and his family have been double-cropping soybeans for 20 years. Matheson says double-cropping has been part of their growing system and they aim to produce 30 bushels per acre, but yields can be higher or lower depending on planting date and post-planting conditions.
In this episode Real Agriculture Soybean SchoolMatheson and Horst Boehner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, will discuss the secrets to doubling yields on Huron County farms, including how to remove straw from fields faster to speed up planting, populations, how deep to set drills and more.
In terms of planting, Matheson is hoping to have winter barley harvested in early July to allow for earlier planting. Winter barley can usually be harvested seven to 10 days earlier than winter wheat, which Matheson prefers to use in a double crop system.
“Typically we expect the barley to be harvested between the fifth and seventh of July. This year we’re confident it will be harvested in June, so there’s a good chance the beans will be ready before the first of July,” Mr Matheson said.
Matheson says his approach has evolved a lot as he has gained experience with the double-cropping system. When it comes to planting, “Historically, our deadline has always been July 10th. That was the deadline 15 years ago, 10 years ago too. As the years have gone on, we’ve graduated the bean maturity down, growing at double-zero, triple-zero (varietal maturity), and I’m comfortable planting up until about July 20th.”
In the video, Boerner and Matheson also talk about planting numbers. When using drills, they try to get 280,000 to 300,000 seeds in the ground per acre. For double-cropped beans, 7.5-inch furrows are preferred, and planting deeper is a good option. Last year, his best beans were planted at 3.5 inches. Check out the video below:
Tap here To see more Soy School videos, click here.
subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | | All Podcasts
