Eastern North Carolina has a rich tradition in soybean production. Soybeans in the MG V-VII have performed well here. Many of our acres were also double-cropped behind wheat, pushing our planting dates into July on occasion. However, in recent years, we have seen an expansion in acres devoted to production using MG III-IV varieties. While these varieties are vulnerable to quality damage when harvest is delayed due to weather, they have yielded very well, causing more growers to look at earlier planting dates using earlier varieties. The reduction in wheat acres, leading to fewer double-cropped soybean acres, has also contributed to the interest in planting earlier and earlier maturing soybeans.