Why Grow Soybeans?

Soybeans are a great agronomic decision.
Soybeans are great in any crop rotation. They don’t follow the same disease cycles as other pulses (peas, lentils, chickpeas), or as oilseed crops like canola. This means that soybeans are an excellent alternative in your cereal, oilseed, and pulse rotation, as soybeans improve your overall disease management program.

Soybeans also provide options in your weed management strategy. Glyphosate and dicamba tolerant traits in soybeans allow for effective weed control.

On their own, soybeans have been proven to have a strong financial return. In addition to high soybean yields, farmers across Western Canada also see higher yields on crops planted following soybeans.

A soybean crop can help to diversify your weather risk.
We all know that we can’t predict what Mother Nature will throw at us, but by adding a soybean crop you introduce a natural hedge in your rotation. When soybeans get off to a good start they can handle most weather conditions – including times when other crops are susceptible to disease. Soybeans can take high levels of moisture as well as withstand drier periods throughout the season, both very effectively. Many farmers in Western Canada include soybeans as an integral part of their rotation because of their ability to adapt to most conditions. As an added benefit, soybeans can help spread your workload in both spring and fall.

Reduce your fertilizer costs.
Growing soybeans gives you the opportunity to reduce your fertilizer input costs versus other crops. Because soybeans fix their own nitrogen, a properly inoculated soybean plant usually has no requirement for additional nitrogen which is an advantage over other oilseed crops such as canola.

Increase your marketing flexibility.
Adding soybeans as a crop diversifies your grain marketing and risk management portfolio. Diversification is important as we cannot predict what each commodity price will be from the time you make your cropping decision until the time you have to market your grain. Soybeans are a worldwide traded commodity. This offers farmers good demand for soybeans. Soybeans being a hedgeable crop allows farmers more flexibility in establishing price (i.e. futures, basis, options, risk management tools, etc.) versus a non-hedgeable crop.

Soybean varieties are better than they’ve ever been.
Maturity, disease package and yields have come a long way in the last five years. Across Western Canada, there are varieties bred specifically to perform in your area. At NorthStar Genetics, we have a variety for every farm, every field. We’re seeing soybean varieties and traits introduced with greater frequency than ever before. NorthStar Genetics has the earliest maturing varieties in the industry, which are a superb fit for farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Soybeans as a crop are getting more attention from plant breeders and genetics companies, and it’s obvious that their growth potential is substantial.

For more information contact your NorthStar Genetics District Sales Manager.