The Fight Against 2022 Environmental Conditions: 

With soybean harvest at 90% complete nationwide, now is the time to reflect on the challenges you faced during the 2022 crop year. In select regions, spring brought wet, cool conditions that delayed the planting season, and allowed Sudden Death Syndrome to creep in on seedlings. Then came drought conditions—leading to irregular flowering and poor pod fill. 

Despite those odds, disease and insect pressure didn’t escalate. For example, areas that normally experience high levels of white mold in their soybean crop, like northeast and east central Missouri, fortunately avoided the disease’s wrath during this growing season. 

Standout Varieties: 

Mother Nature was unfortunately not on our side throughout most of the planting and growing season. Yields looked questionable for many growers across the country. But for those using certain LG Seeds varieties, harvest brought reliable yields. 

Standout varieties across plots included LGS2577E3, LGS3124E3, and LGS3430: 

• LGS2577E3 was an above-average performer in high-stress environments. Even in a high-heat, low-moisture growing season, it yielded bushels per acre in the high 70s. 
• LGS3430E3 also found its way to the top of the class, yielding mid to high 80 bushels per acre, despite adverse conditions. 
• LGS3124E3 fit right in with the other workhorse varieties, enabling reliable yields in a variety of management practices across the High Plains and Midwest.  

Reliable Recommendations for 2023: 

Dry spells come in two-to-three-year cycles. So expect drier-than-normal conditions throughout the 2023 growing season, especially in areas with below-average rainfall and high heat and humidity in 2022. Opt for agronomically sound varieties from LG Seeds that withstood those tests this year, like LGS3124E3 and LGS2851E3 that can handle high-stress environments.  

As we saw in 2022, growing conditions can lead to highly variable yield results. To ensure you’re choosing the right varieties for all your acres — and maximizing your yield potential, no matter the conditions — reach out to an LG Seeds agronomist for soybean recommendations based on your operation’s unique characteristics.