Practical Farm Research (PFR)® has become the go-to resource for farmers to gain information on new products and practices, and 2022 marks the third season of studies designed to test in-season management decisions to aid in profitability. These studies focus on real-world situations that we all encounter in the field and decisions we are forced to make to maintain profitability. In last month’s issue of CropTalk, we higlighted management strategies for early in the season. This month, we expand on that theme by highlighting studies and data for the rest of the season!

Since 1937, the Beck family has owned and operated Beck’s, the largest family-owned retail seed company and the third-largest seed brand in the United States. As farmers themselves, the Beck family recognizes the value of conducting unbiased agronomic research to help farmers succeed.

Each year brings new data from our Practical Farm Research (PFR®) team. By looking at diverse products and practices across several locations, we have determined five success strategies for corn that we believe will provide farmers with the highest likelihood of success.

In many areas of the Midwest, silage is not an afterthought, it is the focus of the entire farm operation. With that in mind, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team will begin conducting corn silage-specific PFR studies in 2021. We know that there is a craving for agronomic research that focuses on producing hightonnage corn silage, and we are going to help find those answers.

Each year we launch new and exciting corn products with added yield and additional agronomic strengths. The process to evaluate each class takes years and hundreds, if not thousands, of trials to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each product. It is rigorous; from field observations to data analysis, thousands of hybrids must be narrowed down to a select few that will be launched in our commercial lineup. These are the “best of the best” hybrids from the most elite breeding programs in the world.

Corn grain yield, typically measured in bushels per acre, can be broken down into distinct components that each contribute to the weight of harvested grain. While genetics govern some yield components, much of the harvested yield is directly affected by environmental conditions and management practices. Yield components include number of plants per acre, number of ears per plant, the number of kernels per ear, and the weight of each kernel.

Farmers understand that planting top-quality grain corn hybrids and soybean varieties is key to the overall success of an operation. The same can be said for forage crops. At Beck’s, we understand that if you’re growing corn silage and alfalfa, you are analyzing genetics and management practices just like you would for grain corn and soybeans. That is why we spend a lot of time evaluating both our silage hybrids and alfalfa varieties for their strongest attributes and how they can make your operation more profitable.

What were the top recommendations this year for delayed planting and how will it affect harvest? Check out this video to learn more.

This season has been one for the record books for nearly every state in the Corn Belt. Extreme rainfall and delayed planting forced many farmers to plant well into June and in some cases, July. As every seasoned farmer knows, conditions like what we saw in 2019 will have consequences. A carefully laid fall harvest plan will help to limit further losses come harvest time. If we look back one year to 2018, many of these same environmental conditions occurred across Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. There are lessons to learn and adapt to help us be more successful in 2019 across the Midwest.

Spring of 2019 will be one that sets the standard for challenges. Farmers are resilient and went to great lengths to get the crop planted, but in low-lying, wet areas of many fields, there was no opportunity to plant row crops. So now, in addition to managing crops, many farmers must also manage their unplanted acres.