Excellence Year After Year

John Dolan (DSM, Region 6 – Missouri)

Harvest is starting to come to an end for some customers in my area and their reaction to the year has been mixed. Spring planting for the 2013 crop was delayed by weather and then turned dry for July and August. In Grundy County, MO, August was the driest on record. Yields have been variable to say the least. Water hold capacity by soil types made a big difference in 2013. This harvest brings a close to two growing seasons with difficult conditions for both corn and soybeans.

What can we learn from looking back over the past two seasons? We can pick out the varieties that worked and those that did not work. Selecting seed varieties that performed well from the past two seasons may not be the best method of variety selection. Without knowing what the weather conditions will be for the 2014 growing season, it will be difficult to select the best product. Looking back over a larger period of growing seasons to me is the best method for selecting varieties. Include yield data from less stressful years such as 2010 and 2011. Using combined yield data from a four-year period helps prescribe a hybrid that will meet or exceed your expectations.

As yield information from the completion of harvest 2013 becomes available in various advertising campaigns, it is very evident that they are only showing what worked well in 2013. If these varieties were available in previous years, be sure to look and see how they performed. The results show that most of the time the varieties that performed well in 2013 didn’t perform as well in previous years. This is where Producers Hybrids along with AgReliant Genetics has excelled. Corn products such as 7014VT3PRO and 3900 soybeans have stood the test of time and Mother Nature’s wrath. Our products have excelled year-over-year and we look forward to working with you to make sure you get the best hybrids for your farm.

Harvest in Minnesota

Dan Olson (DSM, Region 2 – Minnesota)

Harvest is progressing very well in south central Minnesota.  We had a great start on soybeans until the rains started. Growers then switched to corn to keep moving forward with harvest. This has been a very challenging year from planting to harvest on the eastern side of my district. Like one of my dealers said about this growing season, “Turn it black and don’t look back”.

In general, the yields on area soybeans have been better than expected. Most growers were getting around 10 bu/ac better than expected with their Producers Hybrids soybeans. We are seeing great results. October 21 was the first time in a week or better that I saw a combine going on soybeans.  Let’s hope the rain stays away for a while!

Corn harvest is going well in between the rain showers. Growers have been focusing on their fields (and I don’t blame them) so I have many corn plots to get harvested still. This week we will be getting a lot of data from these plots. There are some great looking new products in these plots.

I am very excited about the Producers Hybrids corn and soybean portfolio for the upcoming year. There is still time to take advantage of the early cash discounts. All you need to do is contact your local dealer or District Sales Manager to take advantage of this opportunity. Have a safe and prosperous harvest!

Importance of Plots

Trevor Hamre (DSM, Region 2 – Minnesota)

Harvest has been slowly progressing here in the north half of Minnesota. Rain has been plentiful the last week and hasn’t slowed down yet. Yields have been all over the place, depending on if you received any rain. 2013 has definitely been a challenging year to say the least!

With plot harvest just beginning, I would like to take the time to thank the plot cooperators that we work with. This past spring was not kind to the farmer, yet a lot of them took the time to put in various plots for us when they could have been planting their own crops. By them taking the time, we can now get a good look at what is coming down the pipeline, as well as what is working best in each of the areas.

There were many different “types” of plots planted this year within Producers Hybrids.  I will just name a few. We have our “New Experimental Test (NET)” plots, which show the many different varieties coming down the pipeline. With these plots, our growers get a good look at what they might be planting 1-3 years down the road. Another type of plot we began this year is called Premier Product Performance (P3) trial plots. P3 trial plots are available in corn and soybeans and are designed to showcase our new and market-leading products for next year. Competitor products are also included in each plot to show how Producers Hybrids products stack up against the competition.

These are just a few of the different types of plots that Producers Hybrids utilizes to bring new and market leading products to the industry.  All of this would not happen without the generous help of our plot cooperators!  Thanks and have a SAFE and SUCCESSFUL harvest!

Update: Western Nebraska

Ben Schomp (DSM, Region 3 – Western Nebraska)

We are about done with bean harvest out here in central and western Nebraska. I have heard some good and some bad yield reports; in general, yields are looking to be about average. Wet corn is about done and they are starting to have trouble finding 25% moisture and above. In my area, corn dryers are running about everywhere I go.

Yields are variable depending on weather conditions. We did have a really bad wind in July that laid corn over and that corn never stood back up, which will keep yields down. As of now, we have had enough rain until we get the corn out. I want to wish everyone a safe and prosperous harvest!

 

Full Swing

Kyle Meenen (DSM, Region 6 – Kansas)

The end of another abnormal crop season is here and harvest is now in full swing. By now, nearly everyone in my area of Northeast Kansas is either busy cutting beans or well underway with shelling corn. So far, this has proven to be a busy and exciting time in most areas. However, it didn’t begin as easy.

The season here started off very cool and extremely wet. We were barely able to catch a break in the rains to put crops in. Those that waited and planted a little later seem to have gained a benefit from the way the rest of the season timed out. Although some areas received some flooding early and replants were common, they also received a dry period later on. Another challenge this year was stink bug damage in corn. It was the worst I have ever seen and it seemed difficult to manage since most producers noticed it after the damage was done. For some additional information on stinkbugs, visit http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwatch/archive?articleID=5380813.

It seems we have experienced almost every type of stress possible this year. Overall, the only way to categorize the season would be abnormal.

The good news is, as I ride with growers across the area in combines and take out plots, the yields have been impressive. Most everyone I’ve talked to is pleasantly surprised at the yields their corn and/or beans are making despite the stressful season. This makes it a fun time to be in seed sales, especially with the performance of Producers Hybrids seed across a wide area. Plots are being harvested each day and the information gained there is always useful. Our products again are showing their consistency and quality to season end.

If you have a side-by-side or any other yield test that you would like weighed, don’t hesitate to contact us. All of this information is useful in helping growers make decisions later. For any questions, please contact your Producers Hybrids District Sales Manager. I hope you have a great harvest and look forward to working with you in the future.

Solid Soybean Lineup

John Wheeting (DSM, Region 1 – South Dakota)

The 2013 Harvest Season is in full swing in Northern South Dakota.  All of us at Producers Hybrids are thinking about our ranching friends in the Western parts of the Dakotas.  The vicious storm last weekend left many of them with horrific death losses of livestock. We are thinking about everyone who has been affected by weather recently.

This year, typical growing conditions in South Dakota shifted. Amazing yields of 200 bu/ac dryland corn in Tripp County are being reported. Yields in my territory of North-Central South Dakota and Southern North Dakota are all over the board. Lack of rain in July and August really showed the inequalities of soil structure and how yields are affected. Yield monitors on soybeans jumped from 10 bu/ac in spots to 80 bu/ac, all in the same field. Overall field averages, although less than average years, were better than expected.

Producers Hybrids soybean line-up has once again provided very solid results.  Growers are reporting very good yields for the conditions they faced.  0800R2 customers are talking about the high-end yield potential of this soybean. I weighed a half-mile strip October 9 in Northern Brown County that came in at 64.8 bu/ac. I placed this soybean as far north as Jamestown and had good reports coming from up there as well.

Growers in Edmunds and Faulk counties continue to look at 1409R2 to be an industry leader in their areas. Many people have reported that while some competitor soybeans can hit the top end of yield on the monitor like 1409s, when placed on tough ground, 1409s are more consistent and provide solid field averages.

When you start making soybean seed decisions for 2014, look at Producers Hybrids. The same commitment to providing quality corn hybrids to our customers carries over to our soybean line-up as well.  Proven soybean varieties to fit all of our trade area and some new products have all of us at Producers Hybrids Ready 4 More!

Exciting Time

Marty Shafer (DSM, Region 3 – Western Nebraska)

What an exciting time to be a District Sales Manager for one of the top seed companies in the seed industry.  I am a District Sales Manager for Producers Hybrids in Southwest Nebraska. I cover nine counties in the furthest southwest corner of Nebraska.

We are quickly approaching one of my favorite times of the year. The leaves are changing color, the days are starting to be cooler, the bugs are getting fewer and Nebraska is playing football. What a great season.

Also in my area, we have started to receive some much-needed moisture. With area farmers having some wheat drilled before our rains, the wheat already looks better this fall than it did earlier this March. It is fun to be in the country when Mother Nature helps out too.

Another reason for my excitement is that it is the start of harvest. This is the time when we get to see if all our hard work, whether it’s the producer putting the crop in or our seed specialists placing the right hybrids, has paid off. It is also time to ride in the combine and see firsthand what products we want to advance with on each of your farms. This is a very valuable time for the seed salesman and also a relaxing time.  Riding combines and weighing crops as they come out of the field mixed with the interaction with our customers is always a fun time.

However, keep in mind, this is also a very dangerous time. The amount of daylight is shorter but the days in the field are longer, which makes it even more important that we take safety seriously during the harvest season. Each of you are not only our customers but also valued friends, so please be careful this harvest season so we can reflect next year on how great this year really was.

I will see you in the corn field.

Facts from the Field

Mike Gade (DSM, Region 2 – Minnesota)

As I reflect on this past year and jump right into harvest here in Minnesota, I want to share a few items that I have seen.

Fall applied urea is showing a negative in the yield category in a lot of fields, and some fields show a lot of bug activity causing a negative in plant health and yield. Growers who planted traited hybrids plus applied an insecticide program got rewarded in a positive way as far as ear size and yield. It appears to be more than 30 bushels/acre in some fields. Growers who are doing multiple feedings of nutrients are saving dollars per acre, receiving yield increases and getting more returns of the dollars invested per acre. It looks like we need to look at practices that were used in the past, such as side dressing anhydrous and cultivating in 28% to get maximum yields per acre. It is important to take a look at the last year as we look forward to 2014. If you have any questions, please contact your local District Sales Manager or Sales Agronomist.

Wishing all of you a safe and prosperous harvest.

Looking Forward to Fall

Hello, my name is Aaron Reimers and I am a District Sales Manager in Northeast Nebraska.  This spring and summer in this part of Nebraska has been a whirlwind.  We started out wet and cold in April and May with most acres getting planted between May 12 to the first week in June.  We then turned pretty dry and warm with a few timely rains in some areas throughout July.  Most of the area was looking pretty tough until we cooled down and had some very nice rains from July 20 to the first week in August with some parts of my territory receiving up to 10 inches of rain in that time period.  Needless to say, we are looking to have very good yields this year and our customers are very excited.

To build on that excitement, our field days and plot tours have had great turnouts.  At Producers Hybrids we are very excited to see how our top performing genetics perform this fall.  If you have any side-by-sides or plots to weigh, please give us a call so we can weigh them for you because the data is very important to all of us in making decisions for next year. I wish all of you a safe and prosperous harvest and hope to see and hear from all of you soon. Thank you for all of your support and business.

Kansas Conditions Vary

Kent Reinhardt (DSM, Region 6 – Southern)

Late July 2013 in western Kansas is hot and dry. Southwest Kansas is still suffering from the drought with reports that even pastures in the far tier of western Kansas counties and out into Colorado are capable of producing dust when the wind gets into the 30-40 mph range. As you get into north-central Kansas, conditions vary wildly. There are strips where the pastures are green and growing with ponds full of water but you can also go 5-10 miles in any direction and find strips where ponds are dry enough that they are being cleaned out with dozers.

Corn conditions in southwest and north central Kansas vary to the extreme. The majority of the dryland corn in the area has suffered due to the lack of rain; in fact, some acreage has been chopped for silage with additional acreage scheduled to be chopped within the week. The rainfall in the region has been spotty and in those areas that caught some showers, dryland corn will be harvested for grain with yield potential varying greatly.

The majority of irrigated corn looks good at this time; night time temperatures have been in the 70’s, allowing the plants to recover from the heat and for good pollination to take place.

Wheat harvest has ended with yields from 0 to over 80 bushels per acre. Dryland wheat yields in southwest Kansas ranged from 0 to the teens, even the irrigated wheat in southwest Kansas did not yield well due to the late freeze. Wheat yields in north-central Kansas varied greatly; a lot of 20 -30 bushel yields throughout the area but wheat yields in the central part of the state produced 80+ bushel dryland yields. The soybean crop looks good at this time and the central part of the state planted numerous acres of double-crop soybeans.

 

Western Kansas would benefit greatly from a rain that covers the whole area.