Estimating soybean yields may be more critical this year than in
the recent past. Late season rains have allowed many fields to turn a corner
with pod retention, pod development, and now, seed fill. Drought-stressed
fields tend to be short this season, but the yield potential could be close
to normal. For instance, I estimated yield of 20 bu/ac in a field of 20-inch
tall soybeans, but 10 miles down the road 24-inch tall soybeans were heavily
podded with an estimate of 40 bu/ac. This simplified approach to estimating
soybean yields allows you the flexibility of scouting multiple areas quickly
while observing any late season stressors such as bean leaf beetle feeding
on pods. The video describes the simplified approach to estimating soybean
yields and additional information can be found at:
www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/soybea.... Please note that estimating soybean yield can begin after R5 (beginning seed, ~35 days away from R7) and the accuracy will improve as you scout fields that are into R6 (full seed, ~20 days from R7).