Timely News from Your Federated Agronomists
Back to the Basics of Hybrid Selection

corn ready for harvest
Selecting the right hybrid is one of the most important management decisions growers make. "Attaining yield goals comes down to putting the right seed in the right acre," said Patrick Kopesky, Federated agronomist at the Ogilvie location.
 
The challenge in choosing seed, according to Kopesky, can be broken down into the following specific criteria.
  • Field history (previous crop)
  • Soil fertility, soil texture and type
"Selecting a hybrid for lighter or sandier ground will be much more successful [in those types of soil] than planting a hybrid [that is] best suited for heavier textured soil," said Kopesky.
  • Previous insect/disease pressure
Insects and diseases affecting a field in prior seasons, such as corn rootworm and anthracnose, can play a role in selecting a hybrid. Those hybrids with a greater tolerance to injury can help reduce the yield loss potential. "Standability is critical," he said. Late season stalk strength is vital to ensuring plants do not fall over prior to harvesting.
  • Relative maturity
"Growers also need to keep in mind how relative maturity fits into their operation," said Kopesky. Earlier hybrids are better suited for the northern reaches of Federated's territory as opposed to the longer season hybrids that fare well further south. Additionally, dry down is a consideration as later maturity hybrids tend to dry down more slowly, depending on environmental conditions and the environment, which results in wetter corn and the need to dry the grain once it's in the bins.
 
Federated's Discovery Plot information (see soybean plot results below) offers a great way to key in on products that have proven themselves. "Selecting a hybrid on yield is just one piece of the pie," Kopesky pointed out.
 
In the end, there is no one-size-fits-all product for every farm. Growers often need to plant multiple hybrids across their fields to address the many factors and variables. "Bundling corn types," said Kopescy, will [provide the] opportunity to see what works best."
 
Talk to your local Federated Agronomist to discuss which hybrids fit your farm for 2018, and take advantage of early-purchase discounts soon (see below).
Take Advantage of Seed, Crop Input Financing  

financing sign
With commodity prices being what they are, cost cutting is at the top of the list for 2018. "The best way to cut costs is to purchase crop inputs soon to take advantage of early-purchase discounts," said Keith Steiner, Federated's business relationship specialist who oversees seed financing. "Now is the time for the largest discounts on seed," he added. Cost savings will decrease between now and spring, too.
 
Every seed company offers its own financing, making it hard to meet all the minimum requirements for every seed purchase. Steiner said, "Federated works with CFA, an agriculture financing co-op out of Kansas City, MO, to offer very attractive interest rates on your seed purchases, or a full crop input loan."
 
However, in addition to good interest rates, the benefits of working with Federated and CFA on crop input/seed financing are significant.
  • Purchase all seed varieties and brands on one low interest rate loan.
  • Eliminate the worry of meeting minimum purchase requirements.
  • Easily manage the streamlined application process, and experience short loan processing times.
  • Crop input loans can be used for any seed, fertilizer, crop protection, and fuel purchases made through Federated Co-ops.
Contact Steiner to explore seed/crop input financing options and take advantage of cost-saving early purchase discounts. Your local Federated Agronomist is available for recommendations as well.
Soybean Discovery Plot Results

Harvest results from Federated's nine soybean Discovery Plots are charted in the links below. Click on the plot name below to see the complete harvest report.

dry soybean pod

In reviewing the plot results, Kevin Carlson, Federated's senior agronomist, said, "The good soybean varieties filtered towards the top again, just like last year. The more consistent higher-yielding products also had higher disease resistance, especially with white mold (in the plots that had disease pressure)." He added, "That's a disease we need to continue to manage with variety selection, and with other tools as well, to try to reduce the incidence because there can be significant yield loss with white mold."
 
Again, thank you to the Discovery Plot cooperators whose hard work made it possible to provide this valuable crop information. Talk to your Federated Agronomist  with any questions about the plot results.
 
The soybean Discovery Plot results will also be posted on the Federated Co-ops website mid-November. The corn Discovery Plot results will be available in upcoming editions of the Agronomy Update. 
Happy Thanksgiving 
from the entire Federated Co-ops Agronomy Team. 
We are thankful for you and your business.
Federated Co-ops, Inc. |  763-389-2582