The Farm Journal Test Plot season shifted into high gear this week as Ken Ferrie and his team push to get soybean plots in the ground ahead of the next round of rain.
“We planted until midnight last night to finish two plots, and we’ll finish two more today if the weather holds,” says Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
While planters are running full-tilt in parts of central and southern Illinois, Ferrie notes that northern Illinois is just finding its rhythm.
“Where we are today, farmers are just getting started again. If the rain forecast misses us, we’ll likely roll right through the weekend,” he says.
2026 Soybean Plots Take Shape
This week’s planting efforts focus on soybeans, with multiple test plots designed to tackle farmers’ questions regarding fertility, seed treatments and fungicide performance. Four key test plots being planted this week include:
- Biologicals: A dedicated plot is focused on the performance of various biological seed treatments.
- In-Furrow Starter: In a relatively uncommon setup for soybeans, the team is testing a special starter blend designed specifically for in-furrow placement.
- Foliar Micronutrients: Ferrie and team will be applying micronutrients over the top of soybeans to evaluate the crop response and ROI.
- Plant Architecture & Fungicide Efficiency: This plot compares non-branching varieties in narrow rows against branching “bush” beans. The goal is to measure how efficiently foliar products reach—and stay on—the target. “We want to see how much product hits the ground versus how much stays in the canopy,” Ferrie explains. “If I’m foliar feeding and it hits the ground, it’s a wasted investment. We’re tracking those efficiencies.”
Corn Is On Standby
While the soybean plots are ramping up, corn planting at the Farm Journal Test Plot sites remains largely on hold as the team waits for a better weather window.
Ferrie notes that while many farmers further south in the state are well underway with corn, his local fields south of Bloomington, Ill., have been slower to reach ideal conditions.
“We’ve given farmers the green light to plant corn in some areas of the state, but our specific ground is just now reaching the right moisture levels,” he says. “It has been a challenge to stay out of the wet spots, but we are ready to move as soon as the soil allows.”
Thank You to Our Plot Partners
The research underway this season in the Farm Journal Test Plots is made possible by: Case IH, Fendt, Great Plains Manufacturing, John Deere, Martin-Till, Pleasant View Ag, Precision Planting, Unverferth Manufacturing Company, Yetter Farm Equipment, B&M Crop Consulting and Crop-Tech Consulting.
