Category Archives: Hybrid selection

Changing Seasons, Changing Times

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

Falling temperatures and falling leaves, it’s not hard to figure out how this season came to be known as “fall”. Turning back clocks and getting some field work done. We don’t see much fall plowing anymore but we do see spray rigs and fertilizer trucks in the fields. Fall weed control programs are now a part of the cropping system. It used to be plow, disc, plant, cultivate, harvest and fall tillage if you had heavy black ground. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 Harvest, Corn, Harvest, Herbicides, Hybrid selection, Syngenta | View Comments

The Many Faces of Goss’s Wilt in 2011

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

When a new disease like Goss’s wilt moved into the area in 2009 and 2010, I did my homework to get ready for this year’s episode!  I discovered that Goss’s wilt is unlike any other corn disease when it comes to a “traditional or normal look” to lesions or affected plants, so I started my library of pictures. Notable quotes include: “It’s like a flesh eating disease” said Mark Bernard, Crop Consultant, New Richland, Minnesota, commenting while on the Pro … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease, Goss's Wilt, Harvest, Hybrid selection, Minnesota, Scouting, Syngenta | View Comments

Managing Stalk Lodging and Assessing Yield Performance

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

September brought the rains we wanted in July and August, a bit over 5 inches at this writing and it’s raining now. The early yield reports reflect the truism that “rain makes grain”. One farmer from the southern part of our county reported a corn yield of some 90 bushels. At the other extreme, I rode with a customer while the yield monitor was bouncing between 220 and 250 bushels per acre. The extremely dry weather caused hybrids to die … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 Harvest, Harvest, Hybrid selection, Indiana, Stalk lodging, Syngenta | View Comments

Planning for Planting

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Barry Soliday (Illinois)

One of the many reasons I enjoy working with growers is their eternal optimism for having the best growing season ever. With that being said, part of having a great growing season is to plan for it. With current fall corn commodity prices around $6.20, producers should be asking themselves “How can I extract more bushels per acre?”  One area to examine is corn population. The table below is a great tool for growers to use to determine the optimum … Continue reading →

Posted in Corn, Hybrid selection, Illinois, Planting, Planting Population | View Comments

2,000 More Seeds

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

I hesitate to mention that corn in the South is already emerging because it makes Midwestern farmers really antsy. The present cold weather notwithstanding, we are very close to putting the Corn Belt crop in the ground for 2011. What’s more, today’s commodity prices have every farmer eager to reach for the sky in yields, and the little extra input needed to reach those high yields has a much higher probability of returning a profit at $6.00 corn than  when … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease, Hybrid selection, Indiana, Planting, Planting Population, Profitability, Syngenta | View Comments

National Farm Machinery Show Recap

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

It’s been a busy two weeks on and off the farm.  Snow came, snow went, and then snow came again.  The National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky also came and went as it has been doing for 46 years now.  It’s been a tough winter, we are all suffering from a bit of cabin fever, and the NFMS must be a proven cure for that particular ailment – which would account for the record attendance this year. Our Syngenta … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Corn Traits, Agrisure Viptera, Great Lakes, Herbicides, Hybrid selection, Indiana, Infestations, Insects, Kentucky, Pests, Weed Control | View Comments

Syngenta Southeast Iowa Agronomy Summit Preview

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

If you wanted to stick a pin in the map of Iowa where you thought Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) would first show up next year, a good guess may be by starting almost anywhere in the southeastern Iowa area. Despite our familiarity with  SDS,  there is still a lot we can learn.  What is next year going to bring? What more is there to know about SDS? On February 10, Syngenta will sponsor the Agronomy Summit in Riverside, Iowa, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Aphid Management System, Garst, Golden Harvest, Heartland, Herbicides, Hybrid selection, Iowa, NK, Profitability | View Comments

Planning Another Perfect Harvest for Next Year?

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

By most anyone’s standards 2010 was one of the Heartland’s most agreeable fall harvest seasons that nature has ever provided. No mud, warm days, blue sky – the whole nine yards. Amazingly perfect. We probably will need to do something about that. Perhaps the surest way to not have another fall like this is to actually plan on having a repeat, but that usually does not stop us from thinking it can happen. It seems that no matter how many … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Viptera, Harvest, Heartland, Hybrid selection, Planting, Weed Control | View Comments

Three Tips for Picking Next Year’s Soybean Seed

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Barry Soliday (Illinois)

With soybean yields through the roof in 2010, pesky sales reps are flaunting yield data shamelessly. Yet, nearly all soybean yields were good in 2010. Why? Most areas saw low disease pressure and great bean growing weather. Yield data is important, but disease tolerance is equally important. An extremely high-yielding soybean that has a major Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) issue would have yielded very well this year in Illinois, but could be a train wreck next year if conditions are … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease, Hybrid selection, Illinois, Infestations, NK Soybeans, Planting, Soybeans, Tri-State, Uncategorized, Yield | View Comments

How to Rate Hybrids for Late-Season Harvestability

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Do you remember when late-October storms changed the landscape in your neighborhood? Corn fields from standing to tangled and blown down. And who could forget the massive Halloween snow storm almost 20 years ago that brought harvest to a stand-still? I’ve come to use terms like “Stand N’ Dry”, “Stick N’ an Ear” or “Snow Corn” to describe hybrids designed to best withstand the onslaught of wind and snow. Selecting a few products for late-season harvest management or an extended … Continue reading →

Posted in Harvest, Hybrid selection, Minnesota, North Dakota, Northern Plains, Planting, Region, South Dakota, State, Upper Midwest, Yield | View Comments