3 Steps to Determine Soybean Productivity

Do your soybeans stack up? Get to scouting to check for yield potential and identify areas of weakness to target next year.

As Farm Journal scouts hit the field on the 25^th Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour (formerly Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour) they’re checking corn and soybean fields for yield potential. Here’s how the pros on the tour figure soybean potential:

1. Scout a representative area of the field and lay out a 3' plot. Count all plants in the plot, then pull three plants at random.
2. Count all pods on the three plants and average the number of pods per plant. Determine the total number of pods in 3' of row by multiplying the average number of pods per plant by the total number of plants in the 3' of row.
3. Take the total number of pods in the 3' of row and multiply it by 36. Divide your answer by your row spacing to calculate the number of pods in a 3’x3' square. Use this information to compare field productivity.