Gift of Appreciation!

Doug Ranslem (DSM, Region 4 – Eastern Nebraska)

During the former sales season, Producers Hybrids ran a promotional opportunity for every customer to participate in. The program stated that for every 12 units of YieldGard VT Triple / Genuity VT Triple PRO / Genuity VT Double Pro or Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete corn products purchased, the grower would receive one entry chance for a 42 inch Vizio LCD HDTV. Also, for every 24 units of Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans purchased, the grower would receive one entry. The seed had to be purchased by October 15, 2011 and the account must have been paid in full by July 15, 2012.

In my district, the names were drawn down to 10 names on August 1st. Then at our District Kickoff Meeting on August 21^st, the winning name was drawn. It was Joe Rerucha and his wife Marlene, of Bellwood, NE. Joe was unable to attend that day, so I delivered the TV to their home. He and his wife were caught completely by surprise and were so excited. It turns out that that very week they had started looking at 40+ inch TVs…unbelievable! I talked with them that weekend and they had their sons set it up for them. Joe loves to watch sports, and now loves watching them even more! Congratulations Joe and Marlene!

One Day Closer…

Charlie Haas (DSM, Region 6 – Southern)

It’s been another challenging year in central Kansas. As I look back at the summer of 2011 and 2012, I can only hope for change and to get back some of the hair I lost. 2011 was hot and 2012 was not much different. The planting season for 2012 was great and conditions were not too bad going into pollination. When the middle of June came around we were two weeks ahead of normal and the tassels were just starting to come out. Then we had Monday the 18th of June, a day that I will never forget. The temperature hit 110 and kept going up. When it was all said and done we topped out at 115. That would have been bad enough, but the 35 mile per hour wind made it worse. I would have never believed it, but you could almost watch the corn flash. Tuesday and Wednesday were not much better and when we finished the week I knew we had lost a lot of bushels.

The summer continued to be hot and dry but the heat did break in August and allowed us to have a nice grain fill. The dry land corn was toast, but when we finished harvest we did have some good corn. Planting date was critical and field location and well capacity made all of the difference. Our yields for the most part were surprisingly good but very variable. Corn yields on irrigation went from 0 to 250 with a lot of 200 bushel on the good ground. In the end we were blessed and will live to plant another day. Every day is one day closer to the end of the drought.

Despite the tough times this summer in Kansas and throughout the United States, Producers Hybrids products thrived and I look forward to working with you in 2013!

Expectations

Bryan Lutter (DSM, Region 1 – South Dakota)

“Oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it promises.” – William Shakespeare

My modern translation (whether right or not) is “Expectation is the root of all heartache.”

In Western South Dakota, we adhere to those words and keep our expectations for a big crop in check. Every rain is considered a “bonus” that we didn’t count on. This year we didn’t get many of those “bonuses”. The 2012 growing season left us all baffled at how the grass/hay/alfalfa could be so burnt up already in May while the corn stayed green all summer. What we saw with our own eyes ran counter to intuition. It was nothing short of miraculous.

Not to brag, but yields of 60 bushel/acre on corn was quite common in my district. Where it came from, we will ponder all winter.  Planting date made a huge difference, with the later planted corn lucking out by pollinating during the Sturgis Rally, when the nights got long and cool compared to those Mid-July cookers.

5622/23/24 lived up to its drought-tolerance hype and I literally shed a tear of respect as I type those numerals into this keypad. I feel incredibly fortunate to have this old War-Horse in our line-up, as it made a salesman out of this cowboy. Some of our experimental products in our research plots, as well as a couple new commercial numbers, also really hauled-the-mail under drought conditions.

This coming Friday October 26 I’m scheduled to harvest another research plot in Shannon County on the Pine Ridge Reservation. After last week’s driving winds sand-blasted the landscape, we will learn what products still hung onto their ears in a true dryland environment. Here at Producers Hybrids, we take dryland product research past the outer-fringes of sanity. The way I see it, if our testing doesn’t push a lot of the hybrids straight off the cliff, then we just aren’t trying hard enough.

I look forward to the whirlwind of writing orders and taking early payments that will fill the next several weeks!

It’s That Time Already?

Jason Fryda (DSM, Region 3 – Western Nebraska)

Really? It’s that time already?

If you would have told me in May that 98% of my customers would be done with harvest by October 23^rd, I would have asked you what you hit your head on. But, here we are, and instead of a mid-harvest update this is more of a post-harvest report.

Yes, harvest is almost wrapped up here in central Nebraska and many are putting the final touches on another successful growing season. One common theme this year was WATER. If you had it and could keep up with the workload, the corn was phenomenal. Where it was lacking, the yield also lagged behind. But believe it or not, some dryland fields were even in the 140 bu/acre range (and, no, it was not one of our competitors’ hybrids with that fancy marketing term for ‘drought resistant’ corn).  Look for our yield result postcards in your mailbox or check out our website at www.producershybrids.com to see them online.

With harvest almost complete, now is the time to be thinking about your inputs for next year. Take advantage of our 12% cash and early order discounts for both corn and soybeans through October 31^st . Please contact your DSM or dealer to take advantage of these discounts and lock in the Producers Hybrids products that work best on your farm.

Thanks for your business and we look forward to working with you in 2013!

Interesting Year in Iowa

Mike Morrison (DSM, Region 5 – Iowa)

With corn harvest starting the first week of August, it’s winding down here in southwest Iowa. What a year! Until late June we had the making of a bumper crop. Then the rain stopped and here came the July and August heat. Many farmers in my area couldn’t believe the “stay green” and plant health of the Producers varieties. I say that’s why research and proprietary genetics bring us hybrids like 7014, 7224, 7394 and 7414.

Overall, 60-150 bushel field averages have caught most of my territory. The beans took advantage of late season rain and range from 30 to mid-50s. This year, with the approval of VT3ProRIB, all corn refuge is in the bag. Remember early order and 12% cash discounts run out by the end of October (October 31). Thanks for your business!

Successful Year in Minnesota

Pete Wingert (DSM, Region 2 – Minnesota)

As we wrap up harvest in Southeast Minnesota, it is exciting to look back at this year’s growing season. There were times this summer when we weren’t sure what the harvest had in store; however, as the season concludes we are seeing success.  We have endured a lot of challenges but many farmers are being rewarded with a beautiful crop and are happy about the 2012 yield results.

I have spent a lot of time traveling the region to weigh corn, beans and take out plots in the past month. Corn plot yields have ranged from 180 to 250 bushel/acre and soybean plots are running from 60-80 bushel/acre. Thank you to all of those who put in the extra effort to plant plots in Southeast MN.

The picture below was taken last Friday evening as I took out a plot in Goodhue County.

As you make those last corn stalk bales and plow the fields in the coming weeks, I would encourage you to look over the Producers Hybrids yield results and product guide to begin thinking about the 2013 growing season. Both of these items can be found on our website at http://www.producershybrids.com/. Now is a great time to schedule an appointment with your local Producers Hybrids dealer to talk about the exciting seed line-up they have to offer you, including the early order incentives!

Are you READY FOR MORE in 2013?

Speedy Harvest..Speedy Sales Year

Mitch Barlow (RSM, Region 5 – Iowa)

As I write this on October 10, harvest in Western Iowa is almost complete….WOW! Soybeans are done and corn is somewhere around 90% complete.  Yields have been erratic; however, most growers have been pleasantly surprised with what their yield monitors have been telling them.  Soybean whole field averages have been in the mid 50 bushel range and corn from 130 – 180 bushel whole field averages.  Several growers have said they see their yield monitor jump well past 250 bushels in spots.  Despite the lack of rainfall, 2012 has been a very good year.

With harvest nearing completion, growers are looking to lock down their inputs for 2013 planting.  Most growers realize that seed companies are raising their seed in the same environments they were trying to produce in this year.  Because of this, growers are wanting to order early to take full advantage of early order discounts and early pay discounts.

There are many Producers Hybrids products that have been doing very well in Western Iowa including 5898STXRIB, 6108STXRIB, 6624VT3PRIB, 7014VT3, 7224VTPRIB, and 7394VT3.  Soybean varieties that are earning their way onto more acres are 2008NR2, 2101NR2, 2408R2, 2500NR2, and 2900NR2.

Keep an eye on our website and your mailbox for these exciting products yield results.

Dates to Remember:

October 31 – Early Cash Discount (12%) Ends

October 31 – Early Order Discount Ends

 

Thank You for your past, present, and future business.  Producers Hybrids sincerely appreciates the opportunity to earn your business.  We look forward to talking to you in the next few weeks.  We truly are READY FOR MORE!

Pro2ers Pictures

Have you seen a car with this license plate driving around Kearney, Nebraska? Do you have anything with Producers on it? Send us your pictures!

Check Out Our Yields!

Kim Shepherd (DSM, Region 3 – Western Nebraska)

I’ve been a DSM with Producers Hybrids since 1994 and in all that time I have never seen a year like 2012.  This year we had no rain, Mother Nature has very much been in control and it’s been a blessing to have irrigation.

Harvest is in full swing in my area with the soybean stems green and beans at 8-9% moisture.  We have seen some very good irrigated yields in the 70-80 bushels per acre so far. Likewise, irrigated corn yields have been very good if you had enough irrigation water.  I harvested a NET 7 plot that had a plot adjusted average of 271.4 bushels per acre and the check average (7394VT3Pro) was 270.8 bushels per acre. Check out our website for more Yield Results in your area of interest.

I hope you are keeping notes on how our products are doing in your fields and are working on a plan with your DSM or Dealer so we can best serve your seed needs for 2013. PLEASE HAVE A SAFE HARVEST!

Great Performance Despite Tough Year

Cody Graham (DSM, Region 6 – Southern)

Needless to say it was a tough year for most, with much of the region getting only 5-15 inches of rainfall, well below annual averages.  Dry land acres held on as long as they could, but most of those acres were harvested early with a silage chopper or a swather.  As bad as it sounds, it was probably for the best for the cattlemen in western Kansas whose pastures shriveled to nothing early under the stress of heat and lack of rainfall.  Irrigators struggled to stay within the year’s water allocations, due to extreme temperatures and low rainfall.  But with the right product recommendations we placed earlier in the year we are seeing extremely good yields and very good plant health thus far on most of those irrigated acres.

Wheat planting has started and we are hearing more growers talk about putting more of their acres to wheat because of the potential shortage of rainfall and low snow fall forecasts over the coming winter.   A few timely showers in the area have taken some frustration away and allowed wheat growers to at least get the planted wheat out of the ground.  Sorghum in 2013 has also entered into the conversation, which I question because the sorghum in the area is not showing any advantages over dry land corn this year.

Without good snowfall and a little rain this coming spring we will probably see a decline in dry land acres in western Kansas.  On the other hand Producers Hybrids has seen awesome performance on irrigated acres and we have gained more brand awareness in the area. 7224VT3PRO, 7394VT3Pro, and 7414VT3Pro are a few of the products that are really impressing our customers and have them waiting in line to place their 2013 orders.