OSU Extension, Darke County
Drought Continues to Affect Agriculture in Western Ohio
By Sam Custer 

While visiting with area farmers and agriculture businesspersons at the great Darke County Fair this week it is clear that we are looking at many surprises this fall.  

Reported silage yields ranged from 7 to 19 tons per acre ranging from 35% to 90% of normal yields.  These variations in yields can be found within a couple of miles of each other. 

For those of you who are trying to determine your possible soybean yield this fall I share with you this piece of information from OSU Extension. 

Soybean Yield Estimates 

With hot and dry weather conditions, many growers are curious about soybean yield potential. It is difficult to accurately predict soybean yield because of plant variability, but estimates become more accurate as the growing season progresses. Soybean yield will be influenced by rainfall (or lack of rainfall) through August as seeds are filling. 

To estimate yield, four soybean yield components need to be considered: plants per acre, pods per plant, seeds per pod, and seeds per pound (seed size). A printable worksheet to estimate soybean yield can be found by clicking here. (http://agcrops-cms.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/links/Estimating%20Soybean%20Yield%20Worksheet.pdf/view) 

1. To calculate plants per acre, count the number of pod-bearing plants in 1/1,000th of an acre. In 7.5-inch row spacing, count the number of plants in 70 feet of row. In 15-inch row spacing, count the number of plants in 35 feet of row. In 30-inch row spacing, count the number of plants in 17.5 feet of row. 

2. To estimate pods per plant, count the number of pods (containing one or more seeds) from 10 plants selected at random. Divide the total number of pods by 10 to get the average number of pods per plant. 

3. To estimate the number of seeds per pod, count the number of seeds from 10 pods selected at random. Generally, the number of seeds per pod is 2.5, but this number can be less in stressful environmental conditions. Divide the total number of seeds by 10 to get the average number of seeds per pod. 

4. To estimate the number of seeds per pound (seed size), assume that there are 3,000 seeds per pound. If the soybean plants experienced stress, seed size will be reduced, and it will take more seeds to make one pound. Use a seed size estimate of 3,500 seeds per pound if smaller seeds are expected because of late season stress. 

Using the above estimates, the following formula is used to estimate soybean yield in bushels per acre:bushels per acre = [(plants/1,000th acre) x (pods/plant) x (seeds/pod)] ÷ [(seeds/pound) x 0.06] 

Contributing author - Laura Lindsey 

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