Cream of the Crop
After selecting seeds and battling weather extremes, growers across the Corn Belt and in the South assess the success of the 2015 season.
For the second consecutive year, Syngenta Harvest Chasers took to the road in search of the season’s corn and soybean superstars. The Harvest Chasers traveled from farm to farm across the U.S. to talk with growers about the best-performing Syngenta brand varieties and hybrids in their regions, as well as the traits and technologies that had the biggest impact in mitigating their toughest challenges.
Real Results
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted that corn and soybean growers would produce record-breaking yields in 2015, and the Syngenta Harvest Chasers found plenty of success stories. Chad Render, a grower from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, tells one of them. Despite the season’s heavy rains and strong winds, he achieved above-average yields in corn and soybeans by using NK® brand selections.
“I really like NK Soybeans S47-K5 and S49-F8 brands on the heavier soils, and I’m also very pleased with NK Corn hybrid N78S-3111 brand,” he says. “From one weather extreme to the other, our NK Soybeans and NK Corn held up well. We had really nice yields, getting 70 bushels per acre (bu/A) for soybeans and more than 200 bu/A for corn. We were tickled across the board.”
He credits his yield results in part to advancements in Syngenta seed technology. “The yield has improved along with the technology,” he says. “Syngenta has adapted and made things better as far as disease packages go, as well as everything else that contributes to higher yields.”
Trait Success
More than 900 miles away in southwest Minnesota, grower and Syngenta Seed Advisor™ Ken Lanoue says choosing Golden Harvest® hybrid G01P52-3011A brand was a winning decision for his corn acreage in 2015. This water-optimized hybrid out-yielded adjacent hybrids by 50 bu/A and now comprises approximately 60 percent of his corn acres. Among the attributes Lanoue values most is the hybrid’s ability to yield on some of his more variable soil types.
“It’s good on all types of ground,” says Lanoue, whose average corn yield in 2015 was about 220 bu/A. “You can really put it anywhere. The only mistake you can make with this hybrid is not planting enough of it.”
“I like the protection that Agrisure Viptera provides,” he says, “and I’m glad I don’t have to worry about corn earworm.”
The Power of Partnerships
For some growers, the decision to plant a particular hybrid or variety can be as simple as trusting the person behind the seed bag. For grower Curt Corzine of Shelby County, Illinois, that person is Syngenta Seed Advisor Darrick Fleming of Christian County Seeds. Each year, Fleming helps Corzine select the hybrids that best fit the different soils on which Corzine farms. Corzine values the insight that Fleming provides, especially since the hybrids that Fleming recommends produce results that always pay off.
Take, for example, 2015’s top performer on Corzine’s farms, Golden Harvest hybrid G16K01-3111 brand. This broadly adapted hybrid with the Agrisure Viptera trait stack was a good fit in a year when the weather threw plenty of curveballs, including heavy rains and storms during the heart of the growing season.
“Normally, I don’t like 116-day hybrids, but this one has worked out great,” Corzine says. “The standability is excellent, and it’s been one of the better yielders. I’m going to plant more of it in 2016.”
Fleming has also kept Corzine well-stocked with NK Soybeans S35-C3 brand. “They are the best bean for us,” Corzine says. “They’re adaptable to any row spacing, soil type and weather. Light dirt, dark dirt—it doesn’t matter. They will grow.”
On to Next Year
Syngenta representatives are already working to help growers develop their management plans for 2016. “In a time of softening prices and extreme weather challenges, Syngenta has a truly integrated approach to help keep fields clean, maximize yields and generate the greatest return on investment for our growers,” says Todd McRoberts, Syngenta product development agronomy manager. “With the 2015 harvest season behind us, we’re already thinking about the 2016 chase to help growers select the right seed so they can achieve the best yield possible.”
For more highlights from the Harvest Chasers’ 2015 quest to find high-performing corn and soybeans, visit the Know More, Grow More blog.
Real Results
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted that corn and soybean growers would produce record-breaking yields in 2015, and the Syngenta Harvest Chasers found plenty of success stories. Chad Render, a grower from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, tells one of them. Despite the season’s heavy rains and strong winds, he achieved above-average yields in corn and soybeans by using NK® brand selections.
“I really like NK Soybeans S47-K5 and S49-F8 brands on the heavier soils, and I’m also very pleased with NK Corn hybrid N78S-3111 brand,” he says. “From one weather extreme to the other, our NK Soybeans and NK Corn held up well. We had really nice yields, getting 70 bushels per acre (bu/A) for soybeans and more than 200 bu/A for corn. We were tickled across the board.”
He credits his yield results in part to advancements in Syngenta seed technology. “The yield has improved along with the technology,” he says. “Syngenta has adapted and made things better as far as disease packages go, as well as everything else that contributes to higher yields.”
Trait Success
More than 900 miles away in southwest Minnesota, grower and Syngenta Seed Advisor™ Ken Lanoue says choosing Golden Harvest® hybrid G01P52-3011A brand was a winning decision for his corn acreage in 2015. This water-optimized hybrid out-yielded adjacent hybrids by 50 bu/A and now comprises approximately 60 percent of his corn acres. Among the attributes Lanoue values most is the hybrid’s ability to yield on some of his more variable soil types.
“It’s good on all types of ground,” says Lanoue, whose average corn yield in 2015 was about 220 bu/A. “You can really put it anywhere. The only mistake you can make with this hybrid is not planting enough of it.”
For years, Golden Harvest hybrids have also provided Hugoton, Kansas, grower CJ Skinner with peace of mind, especially those with the Agrisure Viptera® trait. Skinner has a lot of positive things to say about Agrisure Viptera and his two top-performing Golden Harvest hybrids, G16K01-3111 and G13N18-f3111 brands, which yielded well over 200 bu/A in 2015. He says Golden Harvest hybrids “put bushels in the bin” and adds that the Agrisure Viptera trait provided excellent above-ground control of insects, including one of his top menaces—the corn earworm.Syngenta has a truly integrated approach to help keep fields clean, maximize yields and generate the greatest return on investment for our growers.”
“I like the protection that Agrisure Viptera provides,” he says, “and I’m glad I don’t have to worry about corn earworm.”
The Power of Partnerships
For some growers, the decision to plant a particular hybrid or variety can be as simple as trusting the person behind the seed bag. For grower Curt Corzine of Shelby County, Illinois, that person is Syngenta Seed Advisor Darrick Fleming of Christian County Seeds. Each year, Fleming helps Corzine select the hybrids that best fit the different soils on which Corzine farms. Corzine values the insight that Fleming provides, especially since the hybrids that Fleming recommends produce results that always pay off.
Take, for example, 2015’s top performer on Corzine’s farms, Golden Harvest hybrid G16K01-3111 brand. This broadly adapted hybrid with the Agrisure Viptera trait stack was a good fit in a year when the weather threw plenty of curveballs, including heavy rains and storms during the heart of the growing season.
“Normally, I don’t like 116-day hybrids, but this one has worked out great,” Corzine says. “The standability is excellent, and it’s been one of the better yielders. I’m going to plant more of it in 2016.”
Fleming has also kept Corzine well-stocked with NK Soybeans S35-C3 brand. “They are the best bean for us,” Corzine says. “They’re adaptable to any row spacing, soil type and weather. Light dirt, dark dirt—it doesn’t matter. They will grow.”
On to Next Year
Syngenta representatives are already working to help growers develop their management plans for 2016. “In a time of softening prices and extreme weather challenges, Syngenta has a truly integrated approach to help keep fields clean, maximize yields and generate the greatest return on investment for our growers,” says Todd McRoberts, Syngenta product development agronomy manager. “With the 2015 harvest season behind us, we’re already thinking about the 2016 chase to help growers select the right seed so they can achieve the best yield possible.”
For more highlights from the Harvest Chasers’ 2015 quest to find high-performing corn and soybeans, visit the Know More, Grow More blog.
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