SEED SELECTION IN A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER
Nov 12, 2019
In a year that has been like no other, the last weeks for finalizing seed selections for various strong-pricing offers are coming up on the calendar. These proactive seed decisions for planting year 2020 also have another positive effect for growers developing timely farm plans.
Selecting seed now is your ticket for securing optimum products that maximize ROI, explains Nathan Kizer, Agtegra Director of Seed. “Industry-wide, seed orders placed now drive supply allocations. So this is your best opportunity to get access to the products that best match your acres,” says Kizer.
Kizer also notes the continued fine-tuning of genetics as another driver for making seed decisions now. “Especially in soybeans, we get a more rapid refresh of key, improved genetics being released,” says Kizer. “But that generally comes with a supply limitation. So committing sooner rather than later is your way to secure trait packages that improve upon past performances.”
Plot data is continuing to come in, notes Kizer, and he recommends visiting with your local Agtegra agronomist as you evaluate numbers, technologies and performance. From Answer Plot® data to Agtegra research trials, these can be outstanding tools for sourcing information. “Your agronomists have access to national, state and local hybrid and variety data points, all of which are going to help with the 2020 seed selection process,” says Kizer.
As important as these numbers are, the decision making about seed is really starting to evolve into also understanding the whole acre, says Kizer. “Our conversations on seed are really about systematically pulling everything together. Your farm plan is not just about seed for 2020, but whole acre management—from seed placement, to crop nutrients to herbicide systems,” says Kizer.
To pull that all together, the Agtegra agronomy team recommends these three items as you finalize seed and farming strategies for the 2020 planting season.
Selecting seed now is your ticket for securing optimum products that maximize ROI, explains Nathan Kizer, Agtegra Director of Seed. “Industry-wide, seed orders placed now drive supply allocations. So this is your best opportunity to get access to the products that best match your acres,” says Kizer.
Kizer also notes the continued fine-tuning of genetics as another driver for making seed decisions now. “Especially in soybeans, we get a more rapid refresh of key, improved genetics being released,” says Kizer. “But that generally comes with a supply limitation. So committing sooner rather than later is your way to secure trait packages that improve upon past performances.”
Plot data is continuing to come in, notes Kizer, and he recommends visiting with your local Agtegra agronomist as you evaluate numbers, technologies and performance. From Answer Plot® data to Agtegra research trials, these can be outstanding tools for sourcing information. “Your agronomists have access to national, state and local hybrid and variety data points, all of which are going to help with the 2020 seed selection process,” says Kizer.
As important as these numbers are, the decision making about seed is really starting to evolve into also understanding the whole acre, says Kizer. “Our conversations on seed are really about systematically pulling everything together. Your farm plan is not just about seed for 2020, but whole acre management—from seed placement, to crop nutrients to herbicide systems,” says Kizer.
To pull that all together, the Agtegra agronomy team recommends these three items as you finalize seed and farming strategies for the 2020 planting season.
- Look at yield potential and return on investment. Hybrids and varieties obviously respond differently depending on soil types and fertility management. When selecting seed, that yield potential is going to be just as important as cost for optimizing ROI. Working with your Agtegra agronomist, evaluate how your acres have performed in past years and look at seed performance data to determine a best fit. Agtegra is capable of enabling growers with technology to maximize ROI. Some great examples of this is multi-hybrid/variety planting optimizing product placement along with customized variable rate planting prescriptions.
- Managing acres based on weed, insect and disease pressures is vital as seed is being selected. Certain hybrids and varieties are bred/tested for management strategies that include crop rotations and matching herbicide systems with weed pressure.
- Diversifying product maturity. Spacing out 15% of your farm with earlier maturities, for example, and another 15% with full season products will spread crop development risks and widen harvest windows.