Hailed-out soybean fields

An unfortunate hailstorm harvested a large number of soybean fields in a swath across northwestern Iowa on October 1. In these fields, the amount of soybean seed knocked from the plants varied from minimal to essentially the entire yield. Although nothing can be done to replace the lost grain, at least nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) nutrients returned to the soil in the soybean grain can be accounted for when planning nutrient applications for 2003 crops. An estimate of soybean bushels per acre lost is needed to approximate nutrient return to the soil