In this Agronomy Update, Alec Marxen, Seed Representative and Mike Blaine, Field Agronomist provide a PFR update from Gibbon, MN and a look at current corn topics including corn rootworm management.

Over the years, Beck's has done a lot of research on different treatments with strip-till rigs, specifically broadcast vs. banding fertilizer. Check out this video from Field Agronomist, Chad Kalaher, to learn more!

Aaron Brooker, Field Agronomist, is at the Michigan PFR site today looking at our Sulfur Rate and Timing Study in corn.

Check out Field Agronomist, Chad Kalaher's, recent agronomy update to learn more about the observations he has been making in regards to recent hail damage.

Michigan PFR is off to a great start this year at the new location in Dewitt, MI! Aaron Brooker, Field Agronomist, talks about the exciting trials and a show plot with some of our new products.

Greg Shepard, Field Agronomist, reminds us all to calibrate our expectations of corn growth using GDUs (Growing Degree Units).

In this video, Jon Caspers, Field Agonomist, highlights some of the products in Beck's corn lineup that you could keep in mind when early planting in future years.

Potassium (K) plays vital roles within corn plants for carbohydrate, nutrient, and water flow. It is instrumental in gas exchange from the plant to the atmosphere as it regulates the opening and closing of the stomata of the leaf; it is also a key component in cell walls which add to stalk strength. Potassium is essential for photosynthesis, maximizing water use efficiency, helping maintain plant health, increasing test weight of grain, and nitrogen use efficiency. A corn plant requires almost as much K as nitrogen (N); however, when looking at soil test values across the Midwest, soil test K values have been falling. This is largely due to increased grain yields removing higher amounts of K from the soil and insufficient K applications.

Ear and kernel development is a lengthy process for a corn plant. It begins at the V5 growth stage as the plant determines kernel rows around and then continues to V12 where the potential maximum length of the ear is determined. Next comes the pollination stages where the maximum number of kernels is established and then finally, R5 when the maximum kernel size is established.

Any stresses, natural or manmade, during this process, can lead to abnormal ear set. Many of the abnormal ears and their causes are detailed below. Accurate diagnosis of these abnormalities can help prevent future problems in the field.

Short husking is best described as “corn ears outgrowing their husks.” It results in more exposure of the ear tips to environmental conditions and increases the potential for reduced grain quality.