On behalf of UT Extension, the West Tennessee Grain Conference Planning Committee invites you to attend the annual West Tennessee Grain and Soybean Producers Conference.
Details for this meeting and others are below.
Results from the 2024 Tennessee OVT, CST, and Disease soybean trials are now available (full report pdf, excel tables, excel appendix tables). The summary sheet below (Table 4 in the full report) lists varieties in the “A Group” (not statistically different from the highest yielding variety) in either one or both of the REC and CST trials. Listed for each variety are yield, number of years that variety has been in the A group and the percent of locations where that variety had above average yield (click the image to view larger size).
AgResearch and Education Center (REC): Eighty soybean varieties were evaluated at nine sites in small plot replicated trials . There were 8 varieties in MG3, 24 in MG4E , 40 in MG4L, and 8 in MG5 tests. Herbicide tolerance varied by entries with the majority falling into the XtendFlex (XF) or Enlist E3 categories, either with or without STS tolerance (61 entries).
County Standard Tests (CST): Forty-nine soybean varieties were evaluated in unreplicated strip trials. Trials included MG3 / MG4E XF (9 varieties at 5 locations), MG4E Enlist ( 26 varieties at 7 locations), and MG4L XF (14 varieties at 7 locations).
Disease Trials: County trials at three AgResearch and Education Center sites were evaluated for yield with and without a fungicide application. Yield as well as ratings for frogeye, target spot, brown spot, and soybean cyst nematode are reported.
Come join the UTcrops team and many others from the Midsouth in Memphis Jan. 27-28 for the multi-crop conferences: the National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice, Southern Soybean & Corn, and Southern Precision Ag. Pre-register by Dec. 1st and use the code NBUA and get $50 off your conference fee. Pre-register at NCTD.NET or call 573-547-2244. Hope to see you there! Continue reading
In this podcast episode, Dr. Nutifafa Adotey and Dr. Jake McNeal addresses post-harvest soil and nutrient management questions sent in by local UT Extension agents.
You can learn more in the publications on estimating supplemental nitrogen following extended flooding and urease inhibitors, as referenced in the episode.
Check back soon for more segments covering topics related to soil and row crop agriculture!
Results from the 2024 Tennessee OVT and CST trials are now available in pdf or excel format. Tests were grouped by maturity into early (<114 DAP), medium (114 – 116 DAP), and full (> 116 DAP). Data were collected on yield, moisture, test weight, lodging, height, protein, oil, starch, and disease. 
AgResearch and Education Center (REC): Forty corn hybrids were evaluated at nine sites in small plot replicated trials . There were 10 hybrids in the early- (Tables 4-5), 21 hybrids in the medium- (Tables 9-10), and 9 hybrids in the full-season (Tables 14-15) tests.
County Standard Tests (CST): Twenty-seven corn hybrids were evaluated in unreplicated strip trials. Trials consisted of an early- (11 hybrids at 9 locations, Table 6), a medium- (8 hybrids at 15 locations, Table 11), and full-season test (8 hybrids at 14 locations, Table 16).
Common to both the REC and CS tests were 5 early-season, 7 medium-season, and 3 full-season hybrids (Tables 8, 13, 18). Hybrids in the “A Group” (not statistically different from the highest yielding hybrid) are listed below for each trial and test (click the image to view larger size). 
Several questions have come in this week regarding longer-term grain storage. Commodity prices for both corn and soy have prompted this question as producers look to 2025 futures. How long grain can be safely stored without a degradation in quality depends on several factors.
I want to enter into this conversation with great humility and respect, as many of our neighbors and fellow Tennesseans have suffered great loss in the wake of Helene. As devastating as crop loss and seed damage can be, many have lost much more.
Nevertheless, as we have returned to soybean harvest following hurricane Helene, myself and producers alike are experiencing a severe decline in soybean seed quality. I have heard reports that elevators are rejecting some loads entirely, and of dockages as high as $2 bushel-1 for others. With average yields and commodity prices not where we’d like for them to be in 2024, this is definitely not the finish we were hoping for.
Here we are, at the end of one of the more challenging seasons we’ve experienced in the past 10 years. Although some have reported disappointing yields, many have been pleasantly surprised and I believe our best crop may just now be beginning to be harvested. Still, margins remain thin. Based on our current temperatures, we have an opportunity to shave a few cents off the budget in our last few defoliation applications. In this blog, I cover some last-minute thoughts on defoliation timing and product selection. Continue reading