The Delaware Soybean Board (DSB) recently met to approve funding for six research projects that aim to improve yields and control weeds and pests affecting Delaware soybean farmers. These grants, totaling $38,847, are funded through the soybean checkoff program, where farmers collectively invest in research, promotion, and consumer and industry information to benefit all soybean farmers.

“These projects will study genetic improvements and yield protection methods in order to provide farmers with the information they need to deal with the most immediate threats to their crops,” stated DSB Chair Cory Atkins. “The end result is to find the best production practices that will increase efficiency and bottom-lines.”

Projects for 2021 include:

  • Cover Crop Selection and Termination Implications for Slugs, David Owens and Joseph Deidesheimer, University of Delaware, $4,440
  • Evaluation of Aggressiveness among Diaporthe Species isolated from Mid-Atlantic Soybeans, Alyssa Koehler, University of Delaware, $5,989.00
  • Evaluating Earlier Planting Dates for Increased Soybean Yields, Jarrod Miller, Alyssa Koehler, and Corey Whaley, University of Delaware, $5,550
  • Getting the Most Out of Enlist Soybeans for Weed Control in Delaware, Mark VanGessel, University of Delaware, $13,317
  • Exchangeable Cation Uptake by Irrigated and Rainfed Soybeans, Jarrod Miller, Amy Shober, and Jake Jones, University of Delaware, $4,901
  • Soybean Yield Response to Planting Populations in Delaware, Jarrod Miller, Corey Whaley, James Adkins, and Jake Jones, University of Delaware, $4,650

Delaware farmers plant about 160,000 acres of soybeans annually, producing over seven million bushels of beans and generating approximately $60 million in value to the state. The Delaware Soybean Board consists of nine farmer-directors and the Secretary of Agriculture. Funded through a one-half of one percent assessment on the net market value of soybeans at their first point of sale, the checkoff works with partners in the value chain to identify and capture opportunities that increase farmer profit potential.

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For information, contact:

Danielle Bauer Farace
Executive Director
Delaware Soybean Board
443-812-4526
Danielle@desoybeans.org