John Wallace – Soybean Research Profile

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John Wallace, Associate Professor of Weed Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
My path to soybean research is unique. I started working in turfgrass, and then I spent a decade working on invasive weeds in the western U.S. Now, in my current position, I focus on weed ecology in the Northeastern U.S., and that includes working on weed pressure in soybeans.

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
My work developing best management practices for incorporating cover crops into soybean and grains productions systems to reduce weed pressure has the most potential to help soybean farmers. I’m studying the agronomics of planting green into cover crops and the integration of cover crops and herbicides so that they work together to more consistently control tough weeds like burcucumber, horseweed, Palmer amaranth and waterhemp.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The Soy Checkoff is really valuable to my research. The Pennsylvania Soybean Board provides  great support for my program and for research across our team. 

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?

  • Having the right product in the tank is important, but spraying weeds on time is the key to success, though that is easier said than done.
  • Looking at the bigger picture, farmers need diverse tactics for weed control. I encourage proactively integrating other strategies like cover crops and crop rotation into systems to improve weed control over the long term.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of farmers in the future?
I think we need more long-term research. The value would be in identifying combinations of strategies that produce long-term success. Diverse strategies increase resilience to weather and other factors that you can’t measure in a single year. Long-term research will help quantify tradeoffs of management practices that can help slow the spread of resistant weeds.

Nicholas Shay – Soybean Research Profile

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Nicholas Shay, Assistant Professor and Extension Grains Agronomist, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
I grew up in the Finger Lakes region of western New York, mostly disconnected from agriculture despite working for a dairy in high school. I became an environmental consultant in Atlanta, but I realized that I wanted to work outdoors. I went back to graduate school and earned a doctorate degree with research in agronomic weed science, including soybeans. Soybeans can be a good rotational crop in Georgia, in certain integrated systems, and it is now one of the crops I am responsible for in my extension role at the University of Georgia. 

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
Because of discussions with farmers, ongoing research on deer damage in soybeans has potential to impact soybean production. In addition, weed science research for local herbicide use is helpful in supporting special-use labels for herbicides in our integrated cropping systems. Georgia weed control strategies are slightly different because of the wide range of production systems, where soybeans can be planted as early as March or as late as August. Other critical research includes studying how to mitigate disease pressure in soybean-peanut rotations and learning more about best harvest management practices for Maturity Group 4 soybeans in Georgia.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The unified front for the Soy Checkoff is really cool, as it gives me access to resources I don’t have available for other crops. I benefit greatly from the network connected to the Soy Checkoff, and I can use what I learn to benefit farmers. Soy Checkoff funding allows me to pursue research with the most potential return-on-investment, and to tackle issues as part of a larger community.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?

  • The most limited commodity we all have is time. However, timeliness is critically important for any aspect of soybean production — planting, fertility, weed and pest control, etc. Seek to manage time to maximize the timeliness of soybean management.
  • Each crop will face adversity, so farmers should build that into their management plans at the beginning of the year. Proactive strategies to mitigate challenges and manage expectations will support crop production.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of farmers in the future?
I would like to see more research on new soybean uses as the world market becomes more competitive, putting lots of pressure on our soybean exports. With our technology and resources, we can foster new industry partnerships for new uses of soybeans and other crops. I believe new uses are the biggest need for farmers, as they can impact acreage, demand and price.

Marshall McDaniel – Soybean Research Profile

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Marshall McDaniel, Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
I really like solving the puzzle of maximizing productivity AND sustainability. I enjoy figuring out how to do that through practical research. Soybeans cover half our landscape, so maximizing soybean productivity and environmental sustainability benefits everyone. I often take ideas I hear from soybean farmers and test them out, so we all learn more. Plus, soybeans are easier to work in than corn!

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
Past research started looking at the circular economy of using coproducts and byproducts from biodiesel production as fertility inputs for soybean production. Though that should be developed further to be practical, the concept has potential for farmers and processors. Current work on water resilience of soybeans, managing longer crop rotations and incorporating manure has potential to impact soybean production as climate patterns shift.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The Soy Checkoff provides great online resources, as well as financial support through the Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Soybean Research Center. That support has been very helpful for our research.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?
Follow soil health principles and incorporate them where possible. Beneficial practices include applying manure as fertilizer, reducing tillage, adopting longer crop rotations or using cover crops. Growing roots in shoulder seasons is good for soils.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
We need more research on novel soil and water conservation practices that can improve the environment and the bottom line. A bit selfishly, since I work with a larger team on this, I think more practices like our research into perennial ground cover in soybeans, also known as “living mulch,” would help address these goals. A particularly novel innovation is using a grass like bulbous bluegrass, native to the Mediterranean that goes dormant in mid-June. It could improve soil health with less management. I would also like to see research on enhanced, slow-release fertility products in soybeans, too.

SRIN articles:

Linking Soil Practices to Soybean Resilience

Mark VanGessel – Soybean Research Profile

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Mark VanGessel, Professor and Extension Specialist, Weed Science and Crop Management, University of Delaware

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
Early in college, I was interested in overall food production. As a Peace Corp volunteer, I saw how important food production is. That led me to study agronomy, and then pest management and weed control. My current research includes soybeans as a major crop in this area.

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
My work on herbicide resistance has been very valuable to farmers. We’ve been dealing with this challenge for more than 25 years, and it has been a major part of my research program. Farmers need tools and strategies to manage weeds as they develop resistance to herbicides to protect crop yield.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The value of the Soy Checkoff starts with the process. Local farmers sit on the board that invests these funds, and that’s where many ideas for research come from. In Delaware, the soybean board is the only commodity board, making them a primary source of funding for applied research that helps them.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?
My mantra for effective weed control is to use the right rate of the right product at the right time. Of those three factors, the right time is most important. 

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
We need to research non-chemical strategies to manage herbicide-resistant weeds. I expect integrated weed management strategies will become more regional, as different strategies will be most effective in different areas. Understanding that will require intentional regional research. We are not seeing new chemistries for herbicides, and those that are developed are less effective than past options. As we move away from complete reliance on chemical weed control, farmers need complementary strategies to combat weed resistance.

SRIN articles:

How Foliar Nutrients Interact with Weed Control

Mark Reiter – Soybean Research Profile

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Mark Reiter, Professor of Soils and Nutrient Management, Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, Virginia Tech

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
In part, to prove my father wrong! I grew up on a diversified farm in central Virginia, with both crops and livestock. When I was in high school, I helped bale straw, and I told my father we needed to stop. I thought baling straw took nutrients from the double-crop soybeans planted behind the baler. Then, in college, soil fertility became my favorite class. As I learned more, I eventually conducted research that showed how baling straw impacts soil fertility for soybeans, setting the course for my research career.

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
Research on the long-term benefits of cover crops will have the most impact on farmers. I am studying how cover crops support nutrient cycling to bring “lost” nutrients like potassium and sulfur to the surface so they are more available to soybean roots. I am also exploring how cover crop growth and planting green impacts soil fertility. That information will reduce the amount of fertilizer farmers need to apply.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
Without the Soy Checkoff, I would not be doing applied research for farmers. If I depended only on federal grants, applied research wouldn’t happen. I love going to commodity board meetings to get information and input from farmers on what they need from research.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?

  • There is no substitute for soil tests. Farmers need to understand their soils, nutrient needs and pH. That’s imperative to managing long-term, sustainable systems.
  • Don’t be scared to try something new, but try it in a small area to see if it works for you. Every system is different, so not every practice will work, but some things will.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
We need to continue updating soil fertility guidelines to account for changes, like evolving soybean root structures, using new products and incorporating new management practices into  a system. For high-yielding systems, we need to study micronutrients and follow the law of minimums to learn what nutrients are most limiting at each growth stage. This would help farmers find hidden hunger that doesn’t show up visually. We would also increase our understanding of how soybean needs change through their growth cycle.

SRIN articles:

Evaluating the Fit for Fertility Alternatives

Zhi-Yuan Chen – Soybean Research Profile

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Zhi-Yuan Chen, Professor of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
I grew up on a farm, so I know that it is tough to be a farmer. I wanted my career to focus on agriculture and helping farmers. I began using transgenics to reduce aflatoxins in corn in 1996. In 2005, I was hired to use similar approaches to address soybean rust. Since then, I have expanded my focus to other diseases, all with the goal of making soybean production more sustainable.

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
My research on a non-transgenic approach to disease control has the most potential to impact soybean production. Should soybean rust become a more consistent challenge, my research has identified a genetic marker to screen for resistance to that disease.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
I really appreciate Soy Checkoff support and commitment to research. I know farmers want answers to their questions today, but I value their patience and understanding that research to find those answers takes time and resources. I thank farmers for their support and commitment, as they provide the only support I can tap into to impact soybean production.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?
Farmers need to balance managing soybeans for yield with managing pest resistance to reduce the cost of inputs. There are always tradeoffs, and high yields come with other costs. Farmers will benefit from balancing yield and long-term sustainability.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
I think research on new management practices that reduce costs and improve the environment will benefit farmers greatly. That includes more research on precision agriculture, so they can just apply inputs when and where they are needed.

SRIN articles:

Silencing Cercospora Genes Fights Soybean Disease

Virginia Sykes – Soybean Research Profile

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Virginia Sykes, Associate Professor of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
Soybeans have a big impact, as they are widely grown in Tennessee and throughout the U.S. and are used in so many products. As an added benefit, soybeans are short and harvested when temperatures are comfortable, making them my favorite crop!

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
My research has mostly focused on the ecological and economic impacts of management practices like crop rotation, cover crops and double crops. Understanding the short- and long-term impacts of these practices and how to use them to make soybeans more profitable and sustainable will ultimately benefit farmers for years. I also manage the Tennessee Soybean Variety Trials, which provide valuable data every year that helps farmers pick the best varieties for their fields.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The Soy Checkoff provides good guidance for what is most relevant to farmers. I get lots of input on research projects and what they want to learn more about. Plus, the funding is critical to gathering preliminary data to  support larger proposals and maintaining important extension efforts like the variety trials I manage each year, which farmers highly value.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?
Don’t be afraid to try something new, but don’t bet the whole farm on that new practice. Start small and remember that the extension system is here to help. I love talking to farmers who are interested in research and testing things on their own, to help them figure out how best to learn what can improve their operation.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
Breeders do an amazing job advancing lines with new and improved traits, but variety evaluation will always be important, as it helps farmers and industry identify where those varieties can make the biggest impact. We can’t stop at just varieties and yields, though. We are dealing with systems where profitability and long-term sustainability rely on so much more than just yield. It will be increasingly important to focus on whole systems, combining new technology with traditional practices like no-till, cover crops, double crops and crop rotations that allow us to minimize inputs while still maintaining productive and profitable systems.

SRIN articles:

Double Cropping Soybeans and Pennycress for Sustainable Fuel

Mid-South Soybean Variety Trials: A New Resource for Farmers

John Carlin – Soybean Research Profile

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John Carlin, Director, Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program at University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
I grew up on a cattle farm and always liked genetics. As a graduate student, I was introduced to Dr. Pengyin Chen, a leader in soybean breeding, and I loved working with soybean genetics. Though I worked in the industry, my goal was to eventually hold a similar position, so when this role became available at the University of Arkansas, I jumped at the opportunity. 

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
The flood trials tied to the soybean variety trials provide novel data to farmers. I plan to expand this research to look at fertilizer and soil oxygen levels to provide farmers more detailed information on how much damage floods are doing to their soybeans.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The Soy Checkoff allows me to offer trial participation to seed companies at a reasonable rate, so they can enter more varieties. That provides better data both for the companies and for farmers.

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?
Farmers tend to know what problems each field tends to have. Look for soybean varieties that will do best on the farm and in those fields. Choose varieties that can handle likely issues. There is a lot of data about soybean varieties available. Find and use the data that best supports their variety selection process.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
Research needs to investigate more ways to address issues. We need to think about characteristics that we can screen for and combine that with identifying management practices that address those challenges.

SRIN articles:

Soybeans that Weather Waterlogging

Asela Wijeratne – Soybean Research Profile

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Asela Wijeratne, Associate Professor of Bioinformatics, Arkansas State University

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
Soybeans are a major crop in the U.S., with many benefits. Working with this crop can have an incredible impact. Pathogens are among the biggest challenges to soybean production, so finding solutions protects yield and makes a difference in people’s lives. 

What research topic have you completed in the past or are working on now that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
Research looking at additional genes that provide resistance to major diseases like sudden death syndrome and Phytophthora stem and root rots have potential to have the most impact on soybean production.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The Soy Checkoff helps a lot. Without support from the Mid-South Soybean Board, I wouldn’t be able to start much of the work I do. That start positions my program to request additional funding from other sources. 

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?

  • Use a combination of methods to manage pathogens, because they evolve faster than solutions get developed. Don’t rely on just one method, like genetics or fungicide, but use multiple tools to protect against diseases.
  • Look at newer methods and technologies that can reduce the carbon footprint and chemical pollution of soybean production. New technologies are developing some cool ways to improve.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of famers in the future?
Research on precision farming is critical for farmers. Every field is different, and the distribution of diseases like sudden death syndrome isn’t even. Deeper understanding of precision farming would allow farmers to make more localized solutions for each field. Lots of technology and data integration would help them make precise decisions. However, to make progress, research efforts need to be integrated. In addition, I believe we need to upgrade education for farmers and agronomists so they are aware of new methods and technologies. 

SRIN articles:

Building a Microbial Team to Fight Sudden Death Syndrome

Giovani Preza Fontes – Soybean Research Profile

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Assistant Professor and Extension Agronomist, Crop Sciences, University of Illinois

Why did you decide to pursue a career that includes soybean research?
I grew up in Mato Grosso, Brazil, where agriculture is the key economy driver and soybean is the main crop grown. Mato Grosso is the leading state in soybean production in Brazil. When I decided to become an agronomist, soybean research was necessary for my undergraduate studies. I am still researching soybeans among other crops including corn and wheat.

What research topic have you completed in the past, or are working on now, that could have or has had the most significant impact on soybean production?
The projects we’re looking at are ways we can increase the adoption of conservation practices such as cover crops and reduced tillage in Illinois systems. These involve looking at better ways to manage soil, crops and fertilizer. We’re also doing a lot of applied research, looking at planting date, maturity group selection, row spacing and other management practices to keep the University of Illinois Extension recommendations up-to-date.

How has the Soy Checkoff enhanced your ability to find answers to production problems for farmers?
The Illinois Soybean Association has been very supportive of our research. They have a strong commitment to increasing the sustainability of soybean systems in Illinois. We’ve been working together to find ways to achieve that. The Soy Checkoff money is good to have because some of the applied research we do isn’t funded through federal sources. So having the Illinois Soy Checkoff to support this is important. 

Within your area of expertise, what are the top two or three general recommendations you would offer farmers to improve their management practices?
With the lower soybean prices and higher input costs we’ve seen in the past few years, I try to encourage farmers to reflect on the basics and make sure they are covered. 

  • Maintain adequate soil pH and fertility levels
  • Select high yielding varieties adapted to their region
  • Plant on time and with adequate seeding rates.

I usually tell farmers to be a high-profit farmer rather than a high-yielding farmer. These are not always the same.

Within your area of expertise, what do you consider to be critical soybean research needs that can impact the profitability of farmers in the future?
Agriculture is facing a big challenge in terms of sustainability. Consumers are more interested in the way their food is being produced and the environmental outcomes from that. We need to look at the agriculture system and develop best management practices for soybeans to thrive in conservation systems. 

University Profile: https://cropsciences.illinois.edu/directory/giovani3

Website: https://ilagronomy.info/

SRIN articles:

Conservation Tillage Protects Soil and Nutrients for Long-Term Productivity

Studying Soybean Yield with Applied Fertilizer After a Cover Crop