First of all, going into 2025 I haven’t talked to anyone that’s said, “This is going to be my most profitable soybean crop ever!” However, when you run your expected profit/loss analysis on soybeans, what did you put down for yield? What if you could raise another 5 or even 10 bushels without spending much extra to get there? Obviously, that would help the bottom line tremendously! Planting earlier could be one of the first steps to make that happen.

The great thing about early planting is it doesn’t cost anything to change your planting date, and there’s potential for even more yield by doing so. Plus, the earlier you get done planting, the more time you have to tackle other important jobs on the farm.

Why do early-planted soybeans often out-yield later-planted beans?

While there are many theories about this, mostly regarding the weather and when heat or rain hit, the one thing you can bank on is when the daylength is the longest in the summer. The biggest advantage for early planted beans is they should be bigger in the weeks leading up to the summer solstice (June 21) and the weeks after. Those are the days with the most sunlight for the whole season. Having bigger plants that fill in the rows allows for more sunlight capture, which plants turn into energy and, ultimately, yield.

In order to take advantage of early planting, you must have a GREAT early start!

That means the best seed treatment you can find so you get an amazing stand. It also means finding soybean seed with the best cold germination test score. Finally, your weed control must be lights out, so there is no competition for your crop. Personally, I prefer narrow rows to reach crop canopy quickest, but one workaround we’ve discovered on our farm is strip-till, and it’s mainly an advantage due to nutrient placement.

Since soybeans have only 1/5th the root mass of corn, placing nutrition where your soybeans will be able to access it efficiently is critical.

Strip-till offers the best chance for this in our 30-inch-row soybeans. Since we are dryland farmers in a low to moderate rainfall area, we have found the best success by being at the higher end of the fertility range on most nutrients, especially P & K. Since soybeans take in a huge percentage of their nutrition for the whole year during the reproductive stages of growth, you must have available fertility in abundance during that window.

Whether you are in strip-till, no-till, or conventional-till, early planting can work. However, no-till soils will be the coldest, so seed treatment is slightly more important in no-till, but in our opinion the seed treatment is crucial in all tillage systems.

Post-emerge, be very timely with your applications. When you plant early, you may see weeds, insects, and diseases a little sooner than you are used to. Plus, spraying earlier allows you to stop insects before they cause much damage. You can also prevent diseases from taking off and knock out weeds when they’re smaller and easier to completely kill.

We love early-planted beans. Just be careful not to go so early that they freeze off. If you plant starting on the crop insurance date, as long as the soil is dry, you will usually be in good shape.

FOLLOW THE STEPS LISTED HERE AND HOPEFULLY YOU WILL HAVE GREAT SUCCESS WITH SOYBEANS ON YOUR FARM THIS YEAR!

If you want to learn more about the advantages of planting soybeans early, talk with your local Hefty Agronomist.