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Illinois farmer has passion for putting new techniques to the test on his acres.
Agronomic research is a staple on Brady Holst’s farm in western Illinois. Farming alongside his dad and brother, Brady also partners with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) to fine-tune his soybean approach. Through the Supplement Your Soybeans field trial program, Brady aims to learn more about the critical role that ammonium sulfate (AMS) plays in overall plant health and productivity.
The Holsts farm 3,600 acres in Augusta, Illinois, primarily growing corn, soybeans and wheat.
Brady and his family subscribe to the notion that seeing is believing, and conducting on-farm research is the best way to fully understand how different inputs, technologies and practices work on their farm.
Earlier in his career, Brady worked as an engineer at an ag-tech company. Now that Brady farms full time, he uses that ag-tech experience as he works closely with his brother to make informed agronomic decisions for the family farm.
Average Soybean yield 2022
Acres in test field
Soybean row spacing
Soybean population
Test field yield
goal
Having tried an AMS application on soybeans two years ago, Brady is looking to build upon what he learned and determine how soybeans respond in a new setting. From experience, Brady knows the importance of trial design in ensuring reliable results. That’s why he’s working with the agronomy team at ISA to help prepare and oversee this latest trial.
The 125-acre test field will compare untreated acres to planter-applied AMS and in-season Y-dropped AMS. While Brady hopes the treated acres can achieve a yield of 75 bu/ac, he is primarily conducting the trial to learn more about where AMS performs best and how it can be best integrated in the future. The test field will be planted in 30-inch rows with a population of 140,000 seeds per acre.
Brady dedicates much of his spare time to serving as a director for the Illinois Soybean Association.
Research-Driven Association Leader
Brady and his brother both see value in conducting their own agronomic research in conjunction with ISA, where Brady serves on the association’s board of directors. He also sits on the ISA utilization committee dedicated to furthering soybean research and agronomic outreach.
Located in Illinois
Brian Ray
Ryan Reimers
Marc Kaiser
Patrick Riley