SOYBEANS . . .
Gaining Momentum In Southern Alberta

With the cost of fertilizer, rocketing up to unheard-of prices, producers start to look at other options for crops that are not so dependent on front loaded inputs, especially fertilizer. One crop that has gained a lot of attention in the past year, is Soybeans. They have been successfully grow here in southern Alberta for the past few years. And with the new varieties that have emerged on the scene, producers are taking a hard look at them. On February 6, Fabian Seed Farms, hosted a soybean information day to help shed some light on this crop that is being introduced to this area. Producers from all over southern Alberta as well as industry officials from crop insurance, fertilizer and chemical dealerships gathered to hear Kevin Elmy, from Friendly Acres Seed Farm speak about soybean production. Here are some of the points he highlighted:

• Soybeans require no N fertilizer, and in most cases, no P as well. Being a legume they fix their own nitrogen.
• Soybeans can be grown in both dryland and irrigation situations.
• No specialized equipment is necessary to grow soybeans. Conventional grain equipment is used to seed and harvest.
• Soybeans will not only fix their own nitrogen, but when double inoculated, they will leave behind between 30 and 50 pounds of N.
• Soybeans are traded daily, and as such can be moved at any time, instead of waiting for contract calls.
• LS0036RR soybeans are Roundup Ready, meaning they can be used for cleaning up fields.
• Soybean seeding costs, including seed, inoculate, seed treatment, and Roundup chemical runs approximately $85 to $95 an acre, which in some cases, is the cost for just the fertilizer alone to raise a wheat or canola crop.
• You can lock in your soybean price for three years in advance.
• Potato growers have been successfully using soybeans around the perimeter of their potato fields in Manitoba as a defense against potato bugs.

Doing the math, an average crop of soybeans will run about 45 bushels per acre. Using a fall price of $12.50 per bushel at the bin, that works out to $562.50 per acre gross. That by itself is not anything to impressive. But when you deduct your input costs of $95.00, you are left with a net per acre of $467.50. In addition, you will get 30 to 50 pounds of N to work with next year. Suddenly this crop looks like it might have potential!! This year, Fabian Seed Farms will be doing plot trials on soybeans, testing different variety's one against the other as well as using different inoculants, taking all plots to yield. Keep an eye on our Web site later on in the spring to see where these plots will be located. We still have room for a few more producers, who would like to try growing soybeans. Call Patrick to get more information and a soybean production guide can be mailed out to you.