Soybean 2010 is a collaborative research, education and communication effort designed to help Michigan growers improve soybean yields and farm profitability. The project was initiated in 2005 because soybean yields in Michigan had not kept pace with corn and wheat yields. 1,500 Michigan soybean producers were surveyed in 2005 to identify the management practices they were using at that time and to identify educational and research needs. In February of 2008, the 2005 survey was slightly revised and mailed to the same 1,500 growers. The results of the 2008 survey are summarized in this article.

243 growers from 38 counties responded to the survey. Their responses were summarized and subjected to statistical scrutiny. In order to identify management practices that contributed to high or low soybean yields, the respondents were divided into a high-producing group and a low-producing group. The high-producing group reported an average yield of 49 bushels-per-acre or higher (one standard deviation above the mean) while the low-producing group reported an average yield of 37 bushels-per-acre or lower (one standard deviation below the mean). Management practices showing statistically significant different adoption rates between these two groups were identified.

The high-yield group planted an average of 409 acres of soybeans per year, whereas the low-yield group planted an average of 243 acres of soybeans per year, indicating that larger farmers tended to produce higher yields. Another interesting difference between the high and low-yield producers was their use of custom services. The high-yield producers used custom services for soil sampling and pest scouting more extensively than did the low-yield group.

The two groups differed regarding the basis on which they selected soybean varieties for their farms. The high-yield group relied more on their own on-farm trials and less on seed dealer recommendations than the low-yielding group did. The high-yield group ranked the Michigan Soybean Performance Report second to only their own on-farm trials when selecting varieties. This is an area where significant progress toward achieving higher yields can be made.

Soybean variety selection is the most important management decision growers make and the Michigan Soybean Performance Report is one of the best independent sources of information. The report is available online at: http://www.css.msu.edu/varietytrials.

The only difference in the tillage practices utilized by the two groups was that a disk was used by nearly three times as many of the low-yield producers. Due to its design, the disk places more downward pressure on the soil than any other tillage tool and can cause soil compaction to occur in the zone just below the disk's operating depth.

The average planting date for the high-yield group was May 6, a week earlier than the average planting date for the low-yield group. Timing of harvest operations followed a similar trend with the high-yield producers reporting an average harvest date of Oct. 6, a week earlier than the low-yield producers.

Another key difference between the two groups is that the high-yield group reported having more uniform stands than the low-yield group. The high-yield producers also reported using fungicide-treated seed to a greater extent than the low-yield producers.

More information on the Soybean 2010 Grower Survey is available online at the Soybean 2010 website at http://web1.msue.msu.edu/soybean2010/.

Mike Staton is MSU Extension Agricultural Educator and Soybean 2010 Coordinator.