While enjoying the holiday season, let’s play Would You Rather? Soybean edition 

By Shaun Casteel, Purdue Extension Soybean Specialist 

Tis the holiday season. We finished the parade of costumes during the last few days of October as kids raked in the candy. November is upon us with Christmas close behind. Traditions are rooted in many of our holidays whether they are intentional or not. 

Growing up in my family, we gathered at a relative’s farmhouse in Illinois for Thanksgiving. We would have anywhere from 60 to 100 people in that farmhouse — eating, laughing, watching football, playing ping pong, singing, running around outside and maybe even napping. It was a family tradition that I looked forward to every year, especially the homemade noodles on top of mashed potatoes (yes, I grew up in Illinois), Mom’s crescent rolls and pumpkin pie. I am a purist. 

Many family traditions remain while others sunset and new ones emerge. My family and I now drive 8 hours to meet up in the middle of Missouri at an Airbnb farmhouse (yet some things don’t change). At the same time, our Texas relatives drive 8 hours to meet us. 

Cousin time commences and the chickens and cats need to watch out. Along this 8-hour drive, my kids have various books to read, puzzles to solve, pictures to color and toys to play with — stuffed animals to dolls to monster trucks. 

The kids make up games and one of our favorites is the question game, Would You Rather?. We have a few books that serve as prompts, and we certainly come up with our own silly and crazy questions. The premise of the game is to ask questions with only two options, and you must choose one answer. 

It is a fun game to find out what you like and sometimes what you really hate. Some of the questions are extreme, and you are forced to choose the lesser of two evils. The answers can be easy and obvious for one person, but they can be a nightmare for the other. Examples: 

• Would you rather eat worms or crickets? 

• Would you rather skydive or snorkel? (This could be dicey one for some people) 

• Would you rather vacation in the mountains or the beach? 

Now, we will play the soybean edition of Would You Rather?. I will list pairings for you to consider. While I answer some of these pairings knowing full well that my answers may not match your answers or your field situations. Please give me some grace and latitude with these pairings as we are “forced” to answer them with brevity. 

Would You Rather? [Soybean Edition] 

Plant soybeans first or corn first? 

Soybeans. The yield advantage of planting soybean timely is remarkable. 

Drive a Ford, Chevy or Dodge truck? 

Ford F-150. I am tall and fit inside it better. 

Plant 15-inch rows: split corn rows or plant at an angle? 

Split the corn rows provided you are aligned with auto-guidance and can handle the residue (such as row cleaners, sharp seed openers, active down pressure). Otherwise, plant at a slight angle to prevent poor stand establishment over heavy corn residue and corn root balls. 

Plant soybeans with green, red or blue planter? 

Hmmm. 

Treat soybean seed or not? 

Fungicide seed treatments for those early to timely planted fields. Be sure the fungicide selection addresses your field concerns (Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia). No need for insecticide. Late plantings could be completely untreated. 

Plant 15-inch or 30-inch rows? 

15-inch rows in most cases will have a 5-10 percent yield advantage. 

Plant early maturity or full maturity variety first? 

Plant early variety first to take advantage of the timely planting (node development, reproductive branches, reproductive duration), potentially catch old market price, and start harvest earlier. Then, plant fuller season variety to spread growing season risk and pace out harvest schedule. 

Start the day with cup of coffee or energy drink? 

Black coffee. 

Apply routine phosphorus and potassium fertilizers or skip it? 

Real opportunity to use the soil test levels that you have built up and potentially skip until fertilizer price and market price improve. Check those soil fertility levels. 

When planting 30-inch soybean rows: vertical till or row cleaners? 

Row cleaners that can move residue with the same pass. 

Chase soil moisture at planting or keep static seed depth? 

Target seed depth of 1.5 inches plus or minus 0.25 inches. I’d be hard pressed to go much deeper. 

Other questions without answers 

Seed at 125,000 vs. 140,000 with 15-inch planter? What are field conditions? Seed treatment? 

Spray fungicide with ground rig or drone? Is fungicide needed? 

Diversify by adding livestock or specialty soybean? Where is the market? 

Partner with neighbor for planting or harvesting soybeans? What is the most limiting factor for your farm? 

Tillage transition: no-till or vertical till? What is the goal (reduce fuel consumption, build organic matter, time, others)? 

I hope this was a fun taste of options that we choose based on our situations, preferences, and maybe even traditions. As we wrap up 2025 season and look to future seasons, we certainly will be faced with decisions that affect our livelihood and bottom line. 

My hope is that some of these pairings help make us consider our decisions that are based on traditions and preferences, which certainly have their place. Perhaps, there is one or two tweaks that can help our farms to be more efficient, profitable, or productive. I think of those that started down the no-till path in the 1980s to manage fuel costs and conserve soil. Necessity is the mother of invention. 

I wish you the best this holiday season with your family, friends and farms. Here’s one last question. 

Would you rather have pumpkin pie or sugar cream pie? 

Pumpkin pie!