Soybeans: if you want a rain, so do they

Alan Blaine, Mississippi Soybean Specialist, talks today in SoyFax about the need to water beans in May when conditions turn dry. Irrigating beans that early still goes against preconceived notions about managing the crop, he admits.

Blaine made a couple of comments that we did not include in today's report due to space limitations.

• "People sometimes say they don't want to water beans in May. If that's how you feel, then you should plant your soybeans in May, and that way you'll never have to water them in May. But, remember that all of our yield gains in Mississippi have been with beans planted early. We have never been able to achieve the yield levels we now have with May-planted soybeans."
• "Here's a good rule of thumb to go by when trying to decide whether to water beans this time of the year. If you're driving down the road and think to yourself, 'I sure wish it would rain,' then you can bet that your soybeans -- in their own way -- are thinking the same thing, and it's probably time to irrigate."