Expensive Lessons! Perfecting Soybeans Farming Needs Patience, Perseverance

Yesterday, when I made the final rounds of the farms before joining the family for the long holidays, I visited our Soybeans Demo Farm in Luvimin, Kidapawan City.
The Soybeans field was turning golden and in two to three weeks, harvest could start although I believe I will not be hitting my target yield of 3-metric tons per hectare.
A little over a year since I started planting Soybeans in Central Mindanao, I am discovering that I still have a lot to learn to perfect the planting protocols.
Following a successful trial in the sandy loan soil of Barangay Palkan, Polomolok, South Cotabato, I moved the trials to the highlands of Rangayen, Alamada, North Cotabato.
At an elevation of almost 1,000-meters-above-sea-level, I found out that Soybeans does not grow well in cold high elevation areas and decided to focus in the midlands and lowlands.
Soybeans grew well in the midlands and lowlands but we needed a lot of improvements in our fertilization and pest management protocols.
Soybeans require Rhizobium at planting and more of Ammonium Sulfate for its nutrition.
It is also vulnerable to cutter worms and army worms and sensitive to competition by unwanted weeds.
There are still other major challenges like the proper equipment for harvesting and threshing, including cleaning machines to separate good seeds for planting.
Just like our experience with Sorghum where we had almost perfected the planting protocols I believe the lessons I have learned from the previous Soybeans planting will lead us to come up with the correct formula to improve growth and yield.
It is not an easy process. In fact, it is a very costly lesson that I have to learn to realize my dream of making the country Soybeans sufficient in 5 years.
With patience and perseverance, I will get there.

#farmingisendlesslearning!
#perseverancepaysoff!