Updated February 1, 2021:
Final Report
The objective of this project is to develop and distribute up-to-date, high-quality information to soybean farmers across the U.S. on emerging best management practices (BMP’s) through a national partnership. This project brings together soybean Extension personnel from diverse U.S. regions who collaboratively investigate BMP’s and subsequently disseminate information using diverse outreach strategies. This team leverages QSSB funding to support common-theme localized research efforts and have funding through this project to amplify the Extension impact of this state-conducted research work.
The US Soybean Extension Specialist Agronomist Group met for the proposal ‘Initial Content Development Planning Meeting’ at the Commodity Classic meeting in San Antonio, TX on February 26-27, 2020. At this meeting our group determined that the content generation meeting in Fall 2020 would be in hosted in Chicago in from August 24-26,2020 and focus on the development of Best Management Practices associated with early season soybean production issues. Our in-person meeting to generate Best Management Practices had to be moved to a virtual format due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, however a productive meeting was held virtually and allowed the team to begin generating promised deliverables. We focused on creating Extension publications summarizing national agronomic knowledge on the following topics: row spacing, seeding rate, and soybean population. These Extension publications were developed leveraging national expertise from many years of QSSB-funded research. We also shot short videos in the field to accompany each Extension publication. The developed Extension publications and videos are currently with the hired subcontractor (MorganMyers) for formatting and will be ready by early December to meet our promised deadlines and subsequently posted on the Soybean Research and Information Network website. Thirteen Extension Specialists from twelve states participated in the development of these Extension deliverables in 2020.
In addition to the Extension deliverables generated this year, QSSB-funded common these research was conducted across the United States in 2019 and 2020. Two major nationally collaborative trials were conducted that will be summarized through the Extension channels targeted in this proposal in 2021. These common theme research topics include sulfur fertilization in soybeans (Wisconsin, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Dakota, Arkansas, Minnesota) and foliar nutrient feeding in soybeans (Wisconsin, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Arkansas, Virginia, South Dakota, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Missouri, North Dakota, Minnesota). Data from each location is being summarized for inclusion in local and national extension publications in 2021. State-level data is being shared with growers at state-level meetings in winter 2020 and 2021. Common-theme research projects have been identified for employment in 2021 and 2022.