Soybean growers needed for field trials

Mar 10, 2015

Aim of the trials is to look at weed resistance challenges

It’s safe to say that there’s room for improvement and innovation in every industry.

Vehicle makers are always looking for ways to make cars more fuel efficient and user friendly, and technology giant Apple is releasing a watch this year that could replace most smartphones.

Valent USA, an organization that makes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and other agricultural products, is partnering with the American Soybean Association and inviting growers to participate in field trials to help with weed resistance.

The program will target soybean fields, and farmers will be using Valent’s Fierce XLT herbicide.

The trials for the 2015 planting season will assess the herbicide’s performance as part of a pre-plant burndown or pre-emergence application. The hope is that participants will see a greater yield by controlling glyphosate-resistant weeds such as giant ragweed, horseweed, waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth. Valent will provide the herbicide for all acres that are part of the trial.

The program is open to farmers in five states – Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio. They’re looking to enroll about 75 farmers for the trials.

After the trial program is complete, participants will receive a report documenting their results. If a farmer reports their yield results and weed control by species, they’ll be eligible to receive prizes including a $100 Visa gift card and a Fierce XLT jacket.

Farmers who wish to enroll must do so by March 20.

Join the discussion and tell us if you’re planning to participate in the trials. Be sure to follow-up after the planting season and share your results.

Soybeans

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.