Soybeans
Soybean production in Mississippi has experienced many changes over the years. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, state average yields were 21 and 26 bushels per acre, respectively. During the 2000’s, Mississippi’s average yield increased to 34 bushels per acre. Since that time, soybean production has improved even more with the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons resulting in the two highest state yields on record, with averages of 52 and 46 bushels per acre, respectively.
Soybean is currently the top row crop and number three on the list of agricultural commodities in Mississippi behind poultry and forestry. In 2015, Mississippi soybean producers harvested over 100 million bushels on nearly 2.3 million acres. The 2015 total production value for soybeans in Mississippi reached $930 million.
Mississippi soybean producers are commonly planting maturity Groups IV and V soybean varieties, with the majority of the state’s acreage being planted by the end of May each year. There are many management decisions required for successful soybean production. These decisions include, but are not limited to, variety selection, planting date, pest management, irrigation management, and nutrient requirements. Such decisions will vary depending on factors such as production location or issues that may occur within a given year. Many sources of information are available regarding soybean management in Mississippi. These resources should be utilized to ensure that the best management practices are incorporated for successful soybean production.
Publications
News
The process of planting this year’s soybean crop in Mississippi has been anything but normal.
The only consistent variable has been rain, and a lot of it -- from an unusually wet winter and spring to the stormwater the state received from Hurricane Barry. Growers have done their best to plant in tight windows of time when both the clouds and the ground were dry. A long, stop-start planting season has been the result.
Although numbers on paper look about right for Mississippi row crops, the reality is actually quite grim in places.
HAMILTON, Miss. -- Determining the extent of tornado damage to farms in Monroe County will take weeks, but video shot from flying drones will speed up the process.
Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel have been assisting in relief efforts since the morning after an EF-2 tornado on April 13 damaged more than 140 homes in Hamilton, claiming one life and injuring 19 others.
Near a bridge that connects Issaquena and Sharkey counties, Waye Windham leaned toward the side of his boat and dipped a paddle down into flood water to gauge its depth.
The water was too deep for the paddle to reach the ground. Riding with Windham was Lacey Little, who tried a much longer wooden post.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer free testing for a significant crop pest through Aug. 30, 2019.
Success Stories
Greg Chambers is one Mississippi producer who’s focused on innovating. Whether he’s growing soybeans and wheat on his Prentiss County property or raising cattle and goats on other acres, Chambers is always looking for a better, more efficient way of doing things.
Lonnie Fortner was the first row-crop producer in southwest Mississippi to use many of the same precision ag technologies that are now commonplace.
