The American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board surveyed soybean farmers about the use of seed treatments. ASA Economist Jacquie Holland found the results to be very one-sided. “We found that 90 percent of soybean acres in the U.S. utilize treated seeds and that about 37 percent of the farmers we surveyed would expect to see a six percent to ten percent yield decrease without having that seed treatment technology available.” The yield loss and income decrease without seed treatment availability quickly add up. “For perspective, an eight percent yield downgrade from the current national estimate of 53.1 bushels per acre would result in a 4.2 bushel per acre loss. Last week, November soybean futures were trading around $9.95 a bushel. That would translate into a $42 per acre loss in revenue.”
