Crop Observations Leading Up to 2022 Harvest

Amanda Goffnett, Eastern Region

Overall, spring planting in Michigan was delayed by about three weeks due to persistent cool and wet weather. Some areas received heavy rains after planting and no rainfall after, which caused soil crusting. Most of June and July were hot and dry with rain events very scattered. Most areas caught some rainfall from the end of July through August. Below are key products standing out this year.

DS-3203AM™ brand: Very good showing across all environments. Above average emergence and early vigor this spring. Handled the dry year well, but did show a little tip back under extreme stress. Appears to definitely be a lead product under 95-day maturity.

Amanda goffnett examines our new and lead products in michigan test plots

DS-3477AM™ brand: The toughness and excellent drought tolerance of this hybrid is definitely shining. The ears have very good tip fill, kernel depth and a nice dark yellow kernel color. Even under extreme stress, it is looking great.

DS-3601™ brand family: Looks strong across Michigan. Good drought tolerance. Puts on an ear with a lot of flex. Will make a very good replacement for DS-3715AM™ brand and take pressure off of DS-3519AM™ brand.

DS-3959™ brand family: Slower emerging hybrid, but very consistent. Shows some purpling until about V3 growth stage. Average height plant with a nice dark green color and very good standability. Puts on a nice ear with some flex and good tip fill.

DS-3900AM™ brand: Looks good everywhere and handled the drought stress very well. Healthy plant with good height and a flexy ear. This hybrid is going to give DS-4018™ brand some competition.

DS-4219AM™ brand: Another product that handled the hot/dry conditions very well. Puts on a nice ear with good kernel depth. Seems to prefer well-drained soils without compaction over soils with more clay content.

DS-4510Q™ brand: Excellent emergence and early vigor. Very good plant health, color and height. Nice ear with good ear flex. Flowers early so it moves north very well, but looks great almost everywhere.

Mark Gibson, Eastern Region

As we patiently waited for a conducive planting window this spring, the anticipation of monitoring our new products had begun. Most of the corn and soybean crop was planted in a small window this year. We appreciate our plot cooperators who took the time to plant test plots allowing us to observe products throughout the growing season.

DS-5383AM™ brand, DS-5161Q™ brand, and DS-5095AM™ brand all look to bolster a solid line up in the 100+ day portion of the lineup.

DS-5383AM™ brand appears to bring a great deal of stability across environments as a 113-day offering.

DS-5161Q™ brand is a shorter statured defensive complement to DS-5144Q™ brand and DS-5279Q™ brand.

DS-5095AM™ brand has an emergence score of 4 in our publication, but after watching it in several plots this spring, I do not have an issue with its emergence as it emerged just as good as anything in our lineup.

DS-4567Q™ brand appears to be a great addition to our 105-day lineup. Tremendous drought tolerance and toughness complement DS-4510Q™ brand well with added diversity in that maturity.

DS-4219AM™ brand is “as advertised” with great plant health and a big flex ear that will work well with both the DS-4018™ brand family and DS-4310™ brand family.

Dan Ritter, Central Region

The Central Region completed a tour across its sales area evaluating products in 24+ plots allowing us to see products in various growing conditions and geographies. Amazing is the best word for how some of these hybrids look given what we put them through yet another tough year. Some of the key observations are below.

DS-3900AM™ brand: Wow -- we said it had punch and it does! For a hybrid touted as “all about yield”, it sure has enough ruggedness to handle whatever 2022 threw at it. It held together and looked well everywhere.

DS-4014Q™ brand: A solid performer again this year. Look for it to pair well with DS-3900AM™/HiDF3855Q™ brands.

DS-4219AM™ brand, DS-4310™ Family brand, DS-4510Q™ brand: What a trio! All have a great amount of drought tolerance and, at times, it was nip and tuck. The edge may go to DS-4510Q™ brand in the higher yield environments and in the tougher fields perhaps DS-4219AM™ brand or DS-4310™ brand.

DS-4567Q™ brand: Slides further west and was advanced to improve greensnap tolerance. It does not move south out of its maturity zone well. Look at DS-4510™ brand or DS-4310™ brand in those cases.

DS-4917AM™ brand: Looks to be exceptional across the central region. Great tip fill in most areas and in 2022 that is a huge accomplishment. Consistent product that looks to yield. Deep kernels and large ears bode well for a good yield.

DS-4878™ brand family: It will yield ugly ears tending not to be as uniform down the row, but will get after it on yield. The disease environment smiled upon it this year as very little tar spot has been noticed. We still recommend early harvest on this one. Treat it well and it will reward you.

DS-5161Q™ brand: Ears have deep kernels on a small cob with good grain quality. It is a white cob, but the kernels slide right off the cob. Low ear placement and modest plant height will help this plant battle tough winds.

Dairyland seed test plots allows attendees the First opportunity to see newly released products in your local environment.

DS-5095AM™ brand: Very clean, healthy-looking hybrid that fits the eastern growing environments well. Tended to look more impressive under more ideal growing conditions.

DS-5250AM™ brand: If you are using 112-day maturity, this better be on the shopping list! It was the most consistent corn on the central region crop tour. For a top-end yielder, it sure has some grit even in the tougher situations of this year. The big girthy ears with good tip fill and kernel depth are real eye catchers.

DS-5279Q™ brand: It will look average but come harvest always pushes to the top. It is a “plant anywhere” type of hybrid that just goes and does its job. Makes a great match with DS-5250™ brand -- split the planter with these two for a great 2023 harvest.

DS-5144Q™ brand: A solid reliable hybrid especially Illinois and East. Big girthy consistent ears that looked good across multiple geographies. Looks to be a dominator again this year especially in higher yield environments. This will be a favorite again this year.

DS-5383AM™ brand: In higher yield situations it will look awesome. This is another hybrid that looks best in its maturity zone. It was launched to improve the consistency of DS-5323™ brand and it does that very well. Looked very much at home in southeast Indiana.

Branden Furseth, Northern Region

The early heat in the Northern Region helped balance out a later start to planting and was a good equalizer between products early in the season.

DS-3022AM™ brand: From emergence through grain-fill, it has looked really strong. I expect it to compete well above its maturity again this year.

DS-3477AM™ brand: On paper, the defensive nature of this new product caught everyone’s attention, but seeing the yield potential in the field has impressed even more.

DS-3601™ brand family is adding a refreshed bit of consistency for us in the 95-98-day maturity. If it can translate that to bushels, we will have a new anchor in our lineup at that maturity!

DS-3959™ brand family is a bit of a sleeper for me. It lacks that big showy ear, but has been strong and consistent. In our 2021 Wisconsin on-farm plots, it averaged an 11 bushel head-to-head advantage and appears to be on pace again in 2022.

DS-3900AM™ brand: This new hybrid was strong out of the ground and stretched out quickly. It will clearly make a great dual purpose and demonstrate top-end grain yield.

HiDF-5000Q™ brand is going to be a great addition, building on the characteristics we know and love about the HiDF lineup.

Brian Weller, Western Region

In the past I have likened harvest time for an Agronomist to being younger and waiting for Christmas to open presents. This harvest season looks to have that same anticipation with some of the products listed below.

DS-2531AM™ brand: A nice looking product with a flexy type of ear that has a good drought and Goss’s Wilt rating. Look for this to be a good partner for DS-2350™ brand and DS-2505Q™ brand.

DS-3203AM™ brand: A solid product with outstanding drought and Goss’s Wilt scores that will add additional depth to a strong 90-93 day lineup. Strong agronomic ratings with good offense.

DS-3477AM™ brand: A product that may give DS-3550AM™ brand a run for its money, with very good yield capabilities, especially in drought areas. This product also has a strong Goss’s Wilt rating.

DS-3601Q/AM™ brand: A flexy eared product with an outstanding Goss’s Wilt rating. Yields in drought and heavier soils. Another product that will be testing DS-3550Q/AM™ brand’s reign at the 95-day maturity.

DS-3900AM™ brand: This product compliments DS-3959Q/AM™ brand and DS-4014Q™ brand like a fourth ace in a poker hand. Outstanding Goss’s Wilt and drought scores on a product that yields in many differing environments.

DS-4014Q™ brand: One of my favorite products in medium to high yield environments. Comes out of the ground as a leader and follows through with yield.

DS-4219AM™ brand: A product that bridges the gap between the DS-4018™ brand family and the DS-4318™ brand family from a maturity perspective. Because of its outstanding drought and Goss’s Wilt score, this product will handle the drier environments.

DS-4510Q™ brand: Head-turning yields with this product. Great defense, but oh the offense it brings to the bin! Conventional version available.

DS-4567Q™ brand: Brings elite drought and Goss’s Wilt to the lineup which allows this product to go in those tougher environments, but doesn’t forget to bring the yield. Compliments the DS-4318™ brand family, DS-4440™ brand family and DS-4329™ brand family.