11.10.20 News from Your Federated Agronomists |
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2020 Discovery Plot Perspectives and 2021 Plans |
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Federated's Discovery Plot corn harvest concluded last week (soybeans were done previously) and results offered good insight for future crop plans. Check out this video with perspectives from Kevin Carlson, Federated's agronomy sales manager.
Then, read on for further assessments of the 2020 Discovery Plots and be sure to check out the important takeaways for this season from Craig Gustafson, Federated's director of agronomy operations.
And as harvest wraps up, stay safe, stay well.
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The Discovery Plot corn harvest is complete and the “data is very interesting,” said Kevin Carlson, Federated’s agronomy sales manager. The plots produced “really good yields, and really dry corn,” he said. Both high quality and good test weight corn ruled the day.
This year’s corn harvest, evidenced in the Discovery Plots, was the “polar opposite of last year with yields and quality,” said Carlson. “What a difference a year makes.”
Interestingly, Carlson noted, yields were really good in spite of being short on moisture. There was evidence on ear tips in some of the plots of limited moisture at the point of grain fill. But that issue was not prevalent across all of the plots in Federated’s service areas (see photos). In general, there was some moisture stress and stress at pollination, but yields were not adversely affected.
Even with the major weather event – snow and cold – in the middle, the corn harvest is finishing well. And, thanks to more good weather coming after some rain this week, there is still plenty of time to get field work done, Carlson observed. “The big yields mean that nutrient demand – on both corn and soybean fields – was high. Nutrient replenishment is important.”
“There is still time to keep going,” said Carlson. Get fall fertilizer applied and worked in as autumn hangs on. Talk to your Federated Agronomist with any questions.
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The Discovery Plot soybean harvest finished early and behind it comes the task of choosing the best variety for 2021 planting.
“The big thing with soybean variety selection,” said Carlson, “is making sure you pick the best yielding variety with the trait package and disease protection you need – and it’s not an easy task.”
Trait choice is important in addressing issues such as white mold (sclerotinia) tolerance, brown stem rot (BSR), and sudden death syndrome (SDS), the latter of which is sometimes seen in Federated’s southern-most service areas.
“Some of the newer soybeans with newer traits look really good,” said Carlson. But, growers need to make decisions based on multiple sources of information. “Plot data is another layer of information . . . aside from on-farm data.”
Your Federated Agronomists are out and about, talking to growers, reviewing yield data, and getting a good handle on what’s working, and what may not be good options. Talk to them.
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As harvest ends, it’s time to start selecting hybrids and varieties for 2021. Choose the hybrids and varieties that fit your geography and then try to pull out the yields with nutrients, disease protection, and overall good crop management.
“It’s important to talk through and evaluate [all] the information to make the best selections possible,” said Carlson. Your Federated Agronomist is ready to help!
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In addition to tracking Federated’s own Discovery Plots, Federated Agronomists look at plots managed by suppliers and distributors throughout Federated’s service areas. Kyle Johnson, technical seed agronomist for Bayer® DeKalb® evaluated their FTM corn plot at Gerth Farms in Princeton (Ryan Gerth is the manager at Federated’s Princeton location). The FTM plot offered head-to-head comparisons between new and well-established products. Standing out among the new products were Dekalb’s 4595 hybrid (95-day), and Dekalb’s 4045 hybrid (90-day). Talk to your Federated Agronomist to learn more before ordering 2021 seed.
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Takeaways on the 2020 Growing Season |
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As the 2020 growing season ends, Craig Gustafson, Federated’s director of agronomy operations, says “thank you” to everyone for your business this year. Despite the challenges of global issues, Federated’s agronomy division saw significant growth in 2020. And growers are central to that progress.
Gustafson offered some important takeaways from this growing season and the fall harvest:
“We started with a good fall with good harvest conditions and then came the winter weather delay,” he said. But, the much-improved weather of this past week pushed the harvest forward, and “allowed our Discovery Plot cooperators to gather valuable plot results.”
Thank you to all the Discovery Plot cooperators for their hard work and enduring efforts to plant, nurture, and harvest corn and soybeans. The data from the plots is invaluable to Federated growers, and we thank our cooperators for their key role in Federated’s successful plots. Be sure to review the plot results (follow the link on Federated’s home page).
Due to Covid19 safety concerns, the 2020 Discovery Plot Days went virtual, and “we hope everyone enjoyed this year’s series of Discovery Plot videos." However, “virtual” is not the plan for future plot days, according to Gustafson. “We want to return back to our original Discovery Plot Days [in person] in 2021,” he said. Look forward to that opportunity!
Though everyone is tiring of the pandemic, Gustafson said, “Covid19 is still real – even after the elections! – and Federated continues to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our customers and employees.” Masks and social distancing will still be required in days to come, and “we continue to disinfect all [shared] surfaces.”
At the end of a challenging year on many fronts, a bountiful harvest is a good reminder of why Federated serves growers who plant, tend, and harvest crops year after year, through good times and bad. “I want to thank everyone for their continued support of Federated,” said Gustafson.
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