—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 9,1971
8
Soybeans Hold Firm in Face of Corn
With soybean prices holding
firm, while corn prices are
dropping sharply, maybe local
farmers ought to take a harder
look at soybeans as a crop next
year.
Soybeans as a potential were
discussed this week at the Penn
State University research farm
at LandisvUle.
John Yocum, Penn State
agronomist and farm superin
tendent, said it’s still too early to
tell just how well beans will do on
the farm. But he’s optimistic
now, just before harvest, that the
beans will yield 40 bushels per
acre. Yocum is also keeping an
eye on some neighboring farms
where local farmers planted
several acres of soybeans.
Last year, with the small corn
crop that sent corn prices
shooting up to the $1.50 to $1.75 or
more a bushel level, soybeans
didn’t appear nearly as at
tractive as a crop as they do
now.
With corn moving closer to $1 a
bushel, soybeans at recent $3 a
bushel prices look much better.
A 40 bushel soybean yield at $3
would gross the farmer as much
as 120 bushels of corn at $l.
While the relative value of
soybeans and corn could change
dramatically next year
particularly if more farmers turn
more acres to soybeans--the
future of soybeans looks good
now.
Yocum explained that there’s
many uses for the beans, both in
industrial and food manufac
turing, as well as in livestock and
poultry feed. A very high per
centage of the national soybean
production is exported.
Farmers are primarily in
terested in soybeans because of
their extremely high protein
content, as much 40 per cent or
more protein.
Yocum explained that while
soybeans have a ready market,
most local farmers interested in
them are looking at the feed
value with a view to fitting
soybeans into the livestock
ration.
Ruminant animals can use
soybeans without cooking, if urea
is not used. If urea is included,
however, the beans must be
cooked, Yocum said.
Non-ruminant animals also
require cooked beans. The
cooking or heating is necessary to
kill enzymes in the beans.
Raw soybeans, according to
Dr. Richard Cole, Penn State
agronomist, can be safely used in
cattle feed at the rate of up to 20
to 25 per cent of the total ration.
As a forage crop, the
agronomists feel soybeans,
because of their high protein
content, could be used in com
bination with either corn or
sorghum.
The crop might also make
acceptable silage if the stem
could be cracked, it was reported
at the meeting.
In a talk before area farmers
earlier this year, Yocum said the
first thing to consider about any
new crop is: can it make you a
profit?
His second question concerning
soybeans or any other new crop
was: how much more is it worth
to you if you feed it rather than
sell it as a cash crop?-
Yocum feels soybeans can
definitely be raised in the Lan
caster County area, if the farmer
feels it will result in reduced feed
costs.
Dr. Cole told farmers attending
the field meeting “If we ever get
into the soybean business in this
state, I think it’s important that
we also get into the seed
business.”
He stressed the need for high
quality seed only when planting
soybeans and told the farmers
they could use their own seed if it
was good and has first been
tested for germination.
Beans on the Penn State farm
were planted in 30 inch rows, 10
beans to a foot and figuring an 80
per cent emergence rate.
When planting soybeans, Dr.
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condition?”
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Ephrata 733-6518
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Ephrata 733-8161
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Quarryville 786-2547
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Price Drop
Cole said, forget about pounds
per acre and figure in terms ot
how many beans the planter is
dropping and the emergence of
the seed.
The soybeans were planted
about 1-1% inches deep with a
herbicide applied prior to
planting. . .
In plots planted to simulate
soybeans going in after barley
rows were spaced 15 inches
EpSilti
Problems encountered in the
soybean trials included the
Japanese beetle, which loves the
soybean plant, nutsedge and
quackgrass.
Yocum noted that while the
soybean plots did not receive
fertilizer, the soil had first been
tested and found to contain a high
level nearly everything needed.
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Sales & Service
Blue Ball, Pa. Call 717-354-7481
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East Petersburg 569-3296
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Quarryville 786-2678
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Paradise 687-6860
Help Us
Serve You
If your organization didn’t
make our farm calendar this
week, it’s not because we
don’t like you or your or
ganization.
We may have missed it in
the rush. Or maybe you for
got to tell us.
Either way, we’d like to
extend our farm community
service to you.
to get on the Farm Calen
dar, remind us by calling
394-3047 or 626-2191 or by
writing to Lancaster Farm
ing, 22 E. Main St., Lititz,
Pa. 17543. And help us serve
you better.
Fowl’s Feed Service
Peach Bottom 548-2376
Gehman Feed Mill
Denver 267-5585
Heistand Bros.
Elizabethtown 367-1504