soybean field

Dwain Ford, Kinmundy, Illinois

Farm: Dwain and his wife, Melba, own Ford Farms and M&D Seed Company in Kinmundy, Illinois, where they produce and market soybeans, corn and wheat. Their family includes son, Shannon; his wife, Misty; son, Ryan; his wife, Carrie; and four grandchildren.
 

Dwain Ford, on his farm in Kinmundy, Ill., is getting ready to plant no-till soybeans.
Dwain Ford, on his farm in Kinmundy, Ill., is getting ready to plant no-till soybeans.

Some locations are planting corn right now and fertilizer is being applied. The soybean grounds are being sprayed, too, and will soon be ready for planting. I heard from one farmer in Southern Illinois who might plant beans this week, but that depends on the weather, which is our main challenge right now.
With rain and cold temperatures in the forecast, we’re not planting yet. Cold weather slows the growing time for germination and growth of the seed. Another challenge is that some of the fields that weren’t sprayed for weeds last fall are beginning to look fairly weedy, so farmers in my area are trying to get those fields sprayed. We’ve also applied nitrogen on our wheat and will soon be doing disease control application, but right now our main concentration is getting corn and soybeans planted.
This year’s soybean seed supply looks good, and if planting moves forward as anticipated, we should have a quality soybean crop, dependent on weather in the future months. U.S. soybean farmers are very sustainable and extremely conscious in the way they grow their crop, using the least amount of chemicals and fertilizer applications necessary. We want to ensure our international customers are provided with the highest quality and safest soybeans available on the market.
I look forward to traveling to Brazil in June with USSEC Chairman Randy Mann to look at the country’s infrastructure. Back in 1991, I did my graduate thesis in Brazil studying soybean production and the infrastructure.