Our soybeans have received three treatments of AMS in our test field as of today. This consistent supply of sulfur and nitrogen should help us reach some aggressive yield potential.
This year, we planted earlier than we normally do, and that led us to change the type of soybeans we plant. In previous years, we have planted beans with 2.1 to 2.2 maturity. With our earlier planting dates, we have adjusted those varieties to be between 1.4 and 1.9 maturity. This means July rains are now more important to us than August rains. This adjustment requires a bit of a mind shift for us, but we are always looking to do things better, so it is not hard to change our approach or state of mind.
We are not sure if the AMS has anything to do with how our soybeans are sitting, but right now, we have groups of pods sitting on the internodes. It is different from anything we’ve seen before. The good news is that the ammonium sulfate is down and ready to bring the crop to maturity. Our only random factor is Mother Nature now.
If I can take anything away from this trial mid-season, it is that I am confident we have maximized the potential for our beans with the additional AMS applications. And as farmers, that is the very best we can do.