A new bean in town

High-oleic soybeans were introduced commercially in 2012 but weren’t widely grown outside of Indiana and Ohio until recently. According to the United Soybean Board, there are some good reasons farmers should consider planting high-oleic (HO) soybeans, including no yield drag, solid domestic demand, premium advantage and more availability of HO varieties.

“High-oleic soybeans are engineered through both GMO and non-GMO methods to produce an oil with significantly higher concentration of oleic acid – about 70% plus,” said Dr. Shawn Conley, Extension specialist, soybeans and small grains, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat. HO beans have become more important in the dairy industry for dairy rations to boost milk fat production and feed efficiency.”

Some farmers plant HO beans as a cash crop, while others feed them on the farm. Because HO beans are a value-added crop, farmers often receive a cash premium to grow them. However, there are some challenges, including weed management, crop timing and contracts with identity preservation to keep HO beans separate from commodity soybeans.

The identity preservation (IP) system is in place to prevent quality reduction from mixing standard soybeans and to avoid export contamination. The goal is to capture the premium value for growing and delivering HO beans to the end user, whether it’s the farmer’s own dairy herd or a grain channel.

As farmers work with seed contracts, third-party facilities that target roasting or crushing must be approved by the seed company to determine the third-party approver and to make sure facilities follow IP protocols. Before choosing to grow HO soybeans, farmers should have a secure market and have a plan for processing. It’s also important to identify the market and understand all contracts.

“Make sure you have a contract with the buyer,” said Conley. “If you are the farmer, growing the soybeans and taking them to a processing facility for roasting then bringing them back to the farm, you are the grower and the buyer. They cannot enter the food channel, so make sure the contract is in place to protect you and when you are going to grow the beans. If you don’t have a contract and the person on the back end doesn’t take delivery, you’re stuck with the beans and nowhere for them to go.”

Farmers should consider whether HO beans will work for their operation, including agronomic practices, yield and premiums. It’s also critical to determine whether the beans will be fed on-farm or sold and understand the return on investment. Growers of HO beans should be aware that one of the main challenges is weed management, primarily glyphosate-tolerant waterhemp.

“One of the interesting things we found that is in order to maximize soybean yield, look at planting early,” said Conley. “Early planting dates are a big deal for maximizing yield and are one of the most predictive inputs for HO soybeans.”

Early planting tends to promote higher yields and increase oil content; delayed planting dates increase protein content. For those who intend to feed HO beans on the farm, it’s important to work with the farm nutritionist to ensure beans are adequately prepared for balanced rations.

The biggest factor dictating planting date is weed management. Prioritize fields that don’t have a lot of field history of weeds. Ideally, maximize weed control before crop emergence and target small weeds (less than three inches tall). Remember that glyphosate will likely be ineffective against waterhemp. And remember that waterhemp emerges later in the season.

“There won’t be any traits other than glyphosate tolerance,” said Conley. “With Plenish® and Soleic®, there might be a few bags available in 2026 with the Enlist® trait platform that gives farmers a broader spectrum of herbicides to use for weed control.”

There are several aspects of HO beans to consider for both yield and seed composition. One is balancing nutritional value with overall yield. Additionally, environmental conditions and planting dates influence oil and protein content, and possibly fatty acid profiles. For those who would normally plant a 2.0 or 2.2 variety, Conley suggests a 2.5 to a 2.8 variety to allow the crop to recover from early season competition.

“Delay soybean planting until mid to later May to control weeds,” said Conley. “The best option is to start clean and use pre-plant tillage to wait for the first flush of ragweed and lamb’s-quarters. Those are earlier germinators so many of the weeds have already germinated. Manage through tillage or when the first flush of waterhemp comes up.

“The alternative is to have an effective burn-down treatment. For no-till operations, that would be glyphosate, which controls most weeds except for glyphosate-resistant waterhemp – then you’d have to mix in 2,4-D or another product.”

Use an effective primary dual herbicide at planting based on what will be most effective on the farm. Various options include chemicals from Groups 2, 14 or 15. Products from Groups 3 and 5 may be effective on some farms. A post-application of glyphosate will most likely be ineffective against waterhemp. Consider a post-application with a Group 14 herbicide (depending on state label restrictions).

Cover crops help with weed control, as do narrow row spacings. Conley said seven-foot, six-inch rows or 15-inch rows can produce canopies seven to 10 days faster than 30-inch rows. A cereal rye cover crop harvested at 30 inches tall should result in a 50% reduction in weeds that germinate in the field.

HO beans can be profitable for those who are aware of how they differ from traditional soybeans. “Understand that the complexity of your system is going to be much greater,” said Conley. “Be realistic about the return on investment for the added work.”

by Sally Colby