WASHINGTON, D.C. – A recent survey conducted by the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the United Soybean Board (USB) found U.S. soybean farmers favored seed treatments with farm chemicals over using alternative methods before planting.

According to the newly released report, seed treatments typically comprise one or more pesticides applied to seeds as a coating before planting, when plants are most susceptible and face the highest pressures, to limit early-season risks to pest damage.

Fungicides and insecticides are the most widely used seed treatments with 72 percent and 66 percent, respectively, of farmers surveyed indicating these products are applied before planting.

“Seed treatments are a proactive means of ensuring plant health and yield vigor, while minimizing environmental impacts,” said Jacquie Holland, an ASA economist who worked on the study. “Alternative methods to seed treatments do exist, but few are widely accepted by farmers as feasible options.”

She told Farm World, “Seed treatments provide protection to seedlings at their most vulnerable stage of development, which typically coincides with peak pest pressure. Without seed treatments, 37 percent of farmers in the survey expect a 6 to 10 percent decrease in soybean yields.

“Seed treatment applications minimize the ecological impacts of pesticides on surrounding environments and species by reducing the volume and frequency of total pesticide applications, while providing the most timely protection for soybean seedlings at their most vulnerable stage of development,” she said.

When asked about the association’s collaboration with the USB on the survey, she said, “The American Soybean Association conducted and ran analysis on the farmer survey through a research grant awarded by the United Soybean Board. It was a great collaborative effort between our two organizations to assign a value to this resource (seed treatments) that is widely used by soybean farmers across the country.”

The survey found that because seed treatments are broadly adopted by U.S. soybean producers, disruptions to this technology would likely alter on-farm operational strategies and product delivery methods. Holland said farmers would likely face lower yields and higher costs without seed treatments, according to the survey.

Conducted in July 2024, the survey gathered 491 online responses from farmers growing at least 150 acres of soybeans during the 2023 season across the 17 largest soybean-producing states in the United States. On average, 90 percent of soybean acres in the survey were planted with treated seeds. Only 3 percent of respondents had never planted any treated soybean seeds.

Without seed treatments, the report said, farmers must resort to alternative practices to maintain yield vigor and reduce early-season pest pressure within a reasonable cost. These options include higher seeding population rates to account for seedling damage; later planting dates to avoid prime pest pressure; increased starter applications at planting; and more foliar (leaf) pesticide applications.

The survey indicated increasing seeding population rates was the preferred alternative, followed by increasing foliar (leaf) pesticide applications, with later planting the least preferred option. From both a yield and profitability perspective, seed treatments remained the clear preference, the survey indicated.

“About 36 percent of respondents indicated a preference for higher seeding rates in the absence of seed treatments, followed by increased foliar applications (27 percent), and pesticide applications at planting (26 percent),” Holland said. “Very few (11 percent) indicated planting later would be a viable option. In fact, a staggering 80 percent of farmer respondents were ‘somewhat’ to ‘not at all’ willing to plant later.”

She said there are downsides to all these alternatives: higher seeding increases seed purchases.

“Increased foliar (leaf) applications require more pesticide costs, more field passes, and fuel,” she said. “Pesticide applications at planting would also require higher volumes of pesticides. While planting later could offset some early-season pest risk, it risks optimal yield development as it prevents the plant from reaching maximum size.”

While most respondents in major soybean-producing states expect a 6 to 10 percent lower yield without seed treatments, the survey showed growers in the Upper Midwest and Lower Mississippi River Valley were expecting an 11 to 15 percent annual yield reduction. Producers in Michigan and Missouri were concerned about even higher yield losses.

The survey also looked at farmer safety when handling treated seeds, indicating occupational exposure risk potential for growers, applicators and farm labor from these sources is limited.

Moreover, just over a third of seed treatment users rely on their dealers to treat their soybeans. Only 6 percent of respondents treat their own soybean seed, with the remainder relying on seed companies or retailers to treat their soybean seed ahead of planting.

Of the producers utilizing treated seed, the survey showed nearly two out of five reported storing their treated seed in an enclosed storage building since oftentimes these treated seeds are not stored for long after being delivered to the farm before farmers plant them.

Josh Gackle, ASA president and a Kulm, N.D., soybean grower who farms 2,800 acres of soybeans and also produces corn, wheat and barley, said, “On our farm and farms across the country, soybean growers rely on seed treatments as a cost-effective, reliable and safe method of providing early-season plant health and pest prevention. Farmers need these tools to help get our growing season off to a good start.”

To read the full survey results, visit: www.soygrowers.com