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Fourth-generation farmer knows longevity is rooted in soil health.
Farming in the Missouri Bootheel is what Brian Ray was born to do. He grew up farming with his father and now has a farm of his own. Though they now farm separately, they still operate as a unit and work side by side, always willing to lend a helping hand as needed.
Profitability is important to Brian, so he prioritizes ROI in selecting crop inputs and practices. He also focuses on soil health and considers its restoration whenever applying fertilizer. It’s part of his strategy to ensure the land remains viable for generations to come, as his sons are just starting to get involved in the family business.
Brian manages the day-to-day operations of his 1,500-acre farm, where he grows mostly wheat and soybeans. In the past, Brian has grown sorghum and cotton as well. His typical rotation includes 200 to 300 acres of wheat each year, with the remainder devoted to soybeans. He also plants double-crop soybeans following wheat.
On his farm, Brian has both fields that often experience drought damage and ones that are alongside a river, so he’s accustomed to a wide range of weather challenges, especially related to crop moisture. He is always looking for tools to help his crops overcome these weather hurdles common in the Missouri Bootheel. For agronomic advice, Brian turns to his agronomist at Delta Growers Association. He also relies on his seed company for recommendations on how to continuously improve his farm’s crop management plan.
Average Soybean yield 2022
Acres in test field
Soybean row spacing
Soybean population
Test field yield
goal
As a first-year participant in the Supplement Your Soybeans program, Brian says he is excited to see how ammonium sulfate (AMS) performs in his fields. Brian has dabbled with supplemental nitrogen and sulfur on portions of his soybean fields in recent years but is upping the ante to see how AMS performs on an entire field in 2023. Brian hopes the AMS application will benefit emergence and plant health in treated soybeans.
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.
Brian enjoys farming alongside his father and sons in the Missouri Bootheel.
Farming Is a Family Affair
For fourth-generation farmer Brian Ray, farming is a family affair. While Brian has been farming independently for 12 years, he and his father still help each other with their respective operations. And now the next generation is starting to get involved, as Brian’s two sons have begun taking on responsibilities on the farm. When Brian isn’t farming, he can be found taxiing his children around to all their activities.
Located in Missouri
Brady Holst
Ryan Reimers
Marc Kaiser
Patrick Riley