If you can hit 100,000 soybean plants/acre at harvest, you're
well on your way to maximizing economic returns, says Palle
Pedersen, Extension soybean agronomist at Iowa State University
(ISU).  “When farmers plant high populations they reduce the
productivity per plant,” Pedersen says. “The soybean plant is
very sensitive to light interception and the photosynthetic
rate. So if you have too many plants, each plant is going to run
at reduced capacity, competing for light, and will produce less
yield. If you have fewer plants they're going to intercept more
light and are going to produce more yield.”  Taking this
approach means using less seed and that means more money in your
pocket, Pedersen adds.  “Beans have gone up to $60-70/bag,”
Pedersen says. “We simply cannot afford to use the seeding rates
that we used a decade ago.”  Shawn Conley, soybean specialist at
the University of Wisconsin, agrees. “I'd like growers to know
that what you plant is not as important as what you get up,” he
says. “You can get more