First time row cropping, soybeans

I will likely get my first shot at row cropping next year. I have been making hay here in Central MN for 4 years. The new field is heavy clay soil and currently in soybeans, last year was corn as it has been in a corn-soybean-corn-soybean rotation for 10+ years. I am thinking about putting soybeans in due to the lower input costs (compared to corn), I already have a drill, no need to dry the crop at harvest, and less material to handle at harvest. Here is my plan, please nick pick it as you see fit, I am open to all ideas. The field will go unplowed thru winter.

Hit it with a Field cultivator in spring as shallow as possible, no more than 3", hopefully only 2". Then drill them into either 14 or 21" rows using my old IH #10 drill about 1" deep. I would then roll them with my brillion packer.

Is this a realistic plan? Can an old drill do a decent job of planting soybeans? Also, since this will be beans on beans, should I broadcast a fertilizer on prior to running over it with the field cultivator? my drill has a fertilizer box, can I apply a fertilizer with my drill?

I am very excited about this opportunity, I'm sure I will have many more questions in the future

Thanks!

Every 10 Bu of beans removes 7.3 lbs of P and 12 lbs of K from your soil.

It's not good to ignore that for very long......

Soil test is a good thing to see where you are at to start with. Some ground is naturally high in K, then you would be wasting money adding more. Or, perhaps your soil is really low in one or both, and you would do well to add a little extra.

Or you can skip it entirely this year, crop will grow, maybe not as good but it will grow. Some landlords aren't too happy with renters who don't keep up the fertility.

Depends what you want, what the future is.

I would look for a bean type that is a bit defensive - so white mold and so on don't catch you since you are doing beans on beans.

Beans are pretty forgiving as to how you seed them.

I've left bean stubble sit over winter,one field cultivating in spring, and plant. It generally worked well. I found in my clay soil it needed a deeper fall till pass every once in a while, but not a problem for a year like you are doing. If this fall is wet you might run into some compaction without fall tillage. But you are north of me a ways, ground is different.

Just random thoughts, not much help.

Paul

I've planted lots of beans with an old drill. Some plug every other hole for a 12" spacing, but I don't. Never had any of the mold or other problems folks talk about, but then I haven't planted any for a few years.

I only grow a few acres of beans, but I've been at it for 20 years. The last 10 years I have used a soybean/wheat rotation. I use a conventional drill and conventional tillage, but deep tillage isn't hugely important. Shallow cultivation would be OK, but you do need fairly fine textured soil so that you can get good soil/seed contact for good germination. A packer behind the drill is a definite plus. You do want to avoid ridging of the soil surface to reduce cutterbar loss at harvest. Since you haven't really got a lot of data on soil chemistry, I would start this fall with a soil test. Good luck with it, todays prices aren't super encouraging.

Your tillage sounds fine for here. Beans don't need the soil contact that others (like milo) need. I'm not familiar with that drill, but surely it has closers of some kind on it. I wouldn't run the packer on it - that's just an additional pass over the field and compaction you don't need. I've drilled beans and planted beans both in the same year (this year, in fact). The drilled did fine at its normal setting width. That doesn't work as well everywhere. Maybe you can see what many close farmers have done regarding spacing.

I think that you have a good opportunity because it has had beans. You won't have any doubt that your flex header will be fine. Nothing like cutting beans and jacking up your header because there's a surprise.

I wouldn't do without a soil sample. That needs to be the first step when taking over rented ground. Tell them what you are planting and they will tell you exactly what you need. Have a plan for weeds/spraying. You need the field to look nice so that the landlord doesn't regret the renter. This year staying ahead of the weeds was nearly impossible. I went 10k over my prepay on chemicals - $35,000 to keep everything in good shape.

I would get soil samples ASAP. The reason being is that soybeans like Potash. If you wait until spring you will not get the full benefit for the potash you apply as it releases slowly. So apply potash this fall if you need too. Also if your soils need lime then again it should be done this fall. Lime also is slower to activate. If you have a multi year contract you can lime now and get the full benefit over the next few years.

Using a field cultivator will work IF you have a good harrow on the back to keep the field level. IF you do not then you will have trouble getting a good harvest with hills and valleys in the field.

Your drill will plant soybeans OK but the trouble is that the drill will not singlate the beans very well. So you will have a spacing issue, bunch here and none there. Also getting the correct seeds/LBS per acres is hard with a drill. You do not know until your done what you actually have planted. So with the high cost of the seed you may very well be better off hiring them planted with a newer planter over your drill. A better planted crop would only have to yield 1 to 1 1/2 bushels more to pay for the planting.

If you do drill the soybeans then defiantly roll them with your packer. If it turns dry after you plant, then any beans that do not have good soil contact can sprout and then die from not having enough moisture available. So the packer will firm the soil and level it as well.

I would not apply the fertilizer with your drill. The beans will do better with the fertilizer out of the seed zone while the seedlings are smaller. I would apply the fertilizer before your finish tillage. I would not till this fall. The soil needs all the residue from the prior soybean crop for erosion control. Potash stays put if it is spread by itself this fall.

So Good luck and enjoy raising a crop.