NEW CROP RISK TOOL ENHANCES DISEASE MANAGEMENT DECISIONS

The new Crop Disease Forecasting tool on the Crop Protection Network provides weather-based forecasting and risk assessments for various crop diseases, helping farmers, crop advisors and agricultural researchers to make data-driven decisions. This is a free resource for all users. 

AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION NOW TAKING BOARD APPLICATIONS

The American Soybean Association (ASA) is now accepting applications for three director positions. All eligible candidates will be invited to interview with Illinois Soybean Board (ISB) Directors during their July 2025 Board Meeting in Champaign, Ill., prior to the election being conducted at the same meeting.

A COMPETITION THAT PREPARES YOUTH FOR LIFE BEYOND THE FIELD 

This one-day contest gives teams of high school students from across the state the chance to test their agronomy knowledge live and in the field. Scouting gives farmers a heads-up about what is happening in the field starting from crop growth stages to the presence of insects or weeds.

WHEN TO KEEP LESS-THAN-PERFECT SOYBEAN STAND

Despite tough emergence conditions, a May-planted soybean field held an average stand of 83K plants/acre. With weed control in place and rain looming, one farmer chose to keep the stand—showing that even thin crops can still yield strong. 

As soybean prices become increasingly tied to crop quality, not just yield, research from Southern Illinois University suggests that farmers could benefit from site-specific management strategies that account for both productivity and nutritional value.