Is Winter Coming?

John Southwick (DSM, Region 4 – Eastern Nebraska)

We are rapidly approaching the end of November and have had few signs of winter setting in to Southeast Nebraska, until recently.  Could Mother Nature be turning the corner and bringing us a much needed winter filled with snow?  With temperatures finally dropping to the mid 30’s, I recently experienced a little precipitation with actual snowflakes.  Yes, it was short lived, but it brought optimism to the farming community that winter may be coming soon.

After experiencing harsh growing conditions in 2012, many farmers have had the chance to look at their operations and the need for water conservation.  It is no secret that the underground water table is a concern in this part of the country.  We are all praying for a snow filled winter to replenish the severe drop in the water table (4-5’ lower than past years).  As I drive through my territory this sales season, I have noticed an increase in dirt work, tiling and upgraded irrigation pivot systems

With that being said, everyone is doing their part to strive to make next season the best that it can be.  At Producers Hybrids, that is our goal every day!  With our proprietary genetics, we provide a strong disease defense against multiple stresses including drought conditions.  I am pleased to be able to offer my customers a wide range of consistent products that perform in various growing conditions, especially the one we all witnessed this past year.  The products I recommend to ensure a balanced line up in my territory are: 7224VT3Pro, 7394VT3Pro, 7414VT3Pro, 7574VT3Pro, 7624VT3Pro, and the new 108 day hybrid 6884VT3Pro.  These hybrids and their yield performance can be found at www.producershybrids.com.

I am eagerly looking forward to the future and getting READY 4 MORE in 2013! Bring on the snow!

Disease Resistant Hybrids

Jim Kolar (DSM, Region 3 – Western Nebraska)

Wow! What a year!  This year was a blur from planting to harvest.  I don’t think I ever remember a year that was so hot without any rain.  Until two weeks ago, my area (Grand Island, NE) really didn’t have a measurable rain, which was the case in most of my area all summer. The recent rain was a very welcome sight, and I would sure like to see more of it in the next week if the predictions are correct.

I was pleasantly surprised with the irrigated yields in my district.  If you would have told me we would have 250 bushels/acre corn at the beginning of the summer I wouldn’t have believed it.  With the hot days and warm nights, I didn’t think we would be close to the yields that we experienced this fall.  Irrigation was a blessing; you could tell where the water soaked in and where it didn’t.  The dry land was another story.  I saw yields from 0-80 bushels/acre in my area, with more yields lower than higher.

We also didn’t see much for disease pressure throughout the area, which is something that we have to keep in mind while selecting hybrids for next year.  Remember, Producers Hybrids has one of the strongest lineups of disease resistant hybrids in the industry.  Our products are very strong against Goss’s Wilt, Grey Leaf Spot, Rust and many other diseases that we have had in the past years.  When selecting hybrids with a good disease package remember 7414VT3Pro, 7224VT3Pro, 7394VT3Pro, 7574VT3Pro and many of the shorter season hybrids also.

Thanks for your business – get Ready for More in 2013!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for all of the farmers and ranchers who work hard each and every day to put food on our table. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Sifting Through The Information

Scott Barlow (RSM, Region 6 – Southern)

The results are in across the Midwest… what did we learn?  You may have come to the conclusion as I did that no matter what genetic gains have been made in corn hybrids – if it don’t rain you don’t harvest grain!  My territory stretches from Southeast Colorado, where we average 14 inches of moisture annually to Northeast Missouri, where we can get 40 plus inches of moisture annually.  One thing was universal…nobody got what they needed when they needed it.  Where do we go from here?  Time to look through the windshield and not the rearview mirror!

Throughout post-harvest meetings this fall, customers have asked what the yield results showed and the fact is the results told us little, especially as it equates to dryland recommendations.  I’ll leave the numbers to the agronomists; what we’ve asked all customers to do at this point is simply to avoid knee-jerk reactions to a very stressful growing season and look at the averages because the fact is the odds for success next year are in the averages.

We have long term data on our established hybrids that point to high probabilities of success for each and every growing area we serve. Our DSMs, Agronomists and Dealers have been trained to use this information to make recommendations that spread risk and diversify genetic packages.  While some companies claim to have the key to drought tolerance and risk aversion, Producers Hybrids and AgReliant Genetics have tested on irrigated, dryland and high and low rainfall areas; no magic bullet – just thorough testing in this region using proprietary germplasm that can only be purchased in OUR bag!  These decisions are more crucial than ever before.  With corn at $7 plus a bushel a difference of just 5 bushels/acre can be $35/acre or more … easy enough.  BUT, if a bag covers 3 acres using that $35 figure the competitor would have to be $105/ bag cheaper just to break even!!! To me and my customers that puts things in perspective and makes the job of every farmer and manager that much more critical.

Do you want some data that doesn’t come straight from our own tests?  Look at all the University and First Trials for yourself. We have consistently placed high regardless of year.  This is the message we want to leave customers with; consistency over the years – odds that make your farm as profitable as possible over the long haul.

Don’t Forget Our Soybeans!

Ryan Stelter (DSM, Region 2 – Minnesota)

Here we are mid-November already! This is the fastest fall I have ever experienced and I hear the same thing from many customers as I have been out selling seed this year.   As with everyone in the nation, 2012 will be a year we will never forget!  Here in Southwest Minnesota we were fortunate enough to have a very respectable crop this year, despite the tough growing conditions we faced.  Yields were all over the board, with an average crop of somewhere around 150 bu/ac on corn and 45 bu/ac on soybeans.  We started with the best planting conditions we could have asked for and then received a large rain event the first week of May which delayed some of the corn planting in the region.  A few very small areas were fortunate enough to receive a very timely rain towards the end of July and these growers were blessed with a tremendous crop. Overall, I believe corn yields were 20-25 bu/acre better than expected.  We were able to see the true drought tolerance of many hybrids in this area of the state!

As we continue to take orders for the 2013 growing season, I would like to remind you of the tremendous soybean lineup we offer at Producers Hybrids.  In this area of the state, we saw the continued performance of 2209NR2, 2008NR2 and 1900NR2.  We are very excited about our new offerings of 1601NR2, 1801NR2 and 2101NR2. Like corn hybrids, we need to take the time to position soybeans on the right soil on your farm.   Please take time to visit with your DSM or dealer to see which of our products would be a fit for your farm and check out our Product Guide to learn more about our products!

I would like to thank each one of our customers at Producers Hybrids for their business. As you prepare for the next growing season, I would also like to wish everyone the best of luck on your farm for a successful crop in 2013!

New Products Make Quite The Difference

Brian Kohlenberg (DSM, Region 1 – South Dakota)

Wow, it’s hard to believe that I’m in my 5^th year working for Producers Hybrids.  I really didn’t believe going to work could be so much fun until I joined the Producers family.   Every day offers a new set of challenges, as is the case in any agriculture environment, but getting to work with such a great team of people at Producers makes my days seem short.  I especially want to thank the many customers I have the privilege of doing business with each year.  Great customers make selling corn a dream job!

In my area of NE South Dakota this year we saw an incredible amount of variation in corn yields. Some corn unfortunately was forced to be cut for silage with yields around 25 bu/ac, while other farms set new yield records.  Mother Nature definitely did not play fair this year.

A few timely rains and soil type seemed to make huge differences in the final outcome. However, the vast amount of research in corn breeding over the past couple of decades has provided us with hybrids that seem to withstand many different growing environments.  I don’t think we would have seen some of the great yields this year with corn hybrids from the 1980s or even early 90s.  Every year we see new products in our line-up that improve upon the replaced products.  Check out some of our key 90-100 day products such as 5144VT3PRIB, 5224VT3PRIB, 5514VT3PRIB, 5784VT3PRIB, and 5904VT3PRIB on our website at www.producershybrids.com. Thanks again for all of your business!!

Fast & Furious!

Keith Groendyke (DSM, Region 5 – Iowa)

No, we are not talking politics or anything associated with it in this election
year. Rather, fast and furious describes the entire year up to this point.

Northwest Iowa started out the planting season very early with ideal soil and
planting conditions. The planters were rolling on April 11 and the crops
appeared to be on their way to record yields until mid June when Mother Nature
decided differently. With excessive heat both day and night coupled with
no rain, the condition of the crops varied greatly throughout the area due to heat
and drought stress.

Despite the harsh conditions, everyone was pleasantly surprised and impressed with Producers Hybrids performance and plant health. Harvest went the same way as planting; fast and furious. Soybean yields ranged from 40-60 bushel per acre depending on location with the northern area being on the higher side of the yields. One thing everyone noticed was the fact that the later maturity beans tended to have higher yields. For example, if 2.0 was the maturity that normally worked in an area, the 2.4 or 2.5 would be the higher yield. All beans were very dry with many coming out at 9-10% moisture.

Corn was the real surprise with yields up to 250 bushel per acre and beyond with the
moisture being 15% and less very early. Hybrids that really impressed everyone
were 5898STX, 6108STX, 6624VT3PRO RIB, 6884VT3PRO RIB,7014VT3PRO RIB and 7394VT3PRO RIB. An excellent way to see the performance of Producers Hybrids products is to go to the Yield Results tool on our website. Everyone was really impressed this year and I heard “I don’t know where the yields came from this year. We really got more than we expected and a lot more than we deserved,” from many people.

Once again, early orders came in at a rapid pace; fast and furious. We at Producers Hybrids want to thank everyone for their business in the past and we look forward to doing business with you in the future. We are all READY FOR MORE.

Thank You Bud!

Bud Klug, a Producers Hybrids seed representative from Eastern Nebraska, recently retired after working for the company for 20 years. Congratulations on your retirement and thank you for all of your hard work throughout the years Bud!