Dairyland Seed Agronomy: What Goes On Behind the Scenes?

Agronomy Team

As the calendar rolls into mid-summer, and planting wraps up, the Agronomy team prepares for a busy summer. For many weeks they are road warriors and map out routes across their regions to stay in tune with the people and products they represent.

Ryan Mueller shares his knowledge at field days through the Midwest every summer.

For Dairyland Seed, plots have always played a critical role in our success. Our Agronomy Team is expanding that effort to find new ways to gather and use the data collected from the plots. The agronomists have also been working hard with our salesmen and dealers to make sure that we have plots in your unique environments which will help them make product recommendations for next sales season.

We have also expanded our PAR (Product and Agronomy Research) plot efforts in order to provide valuable agronomic information. Look for a summarized book of these studies next winter.

New Database

The Agronomy Team is currently working in a new database that allows them to record their observations directly into the system.

• Each agronomist has been tasked with providing a pre-determined number of reps or observations on many key attributes such as emergence, flowering, diseases, late season stalk, and many more.
• The team is continuously on the lookout for opportunistic notes like summer roots or green snap.
• Using the observations entered into the system, outputs will be created to analyze the data not only on an individual plot basis, but rolled up into regional and company-wide reports.

Another key summer agronomist activity is training and teaching our salesmen, dealers and customers. Between dealer meetings and field days, the Agronomy Team crisscrosses the Midwest providing input on many product and agronomy topics.

In preparation for our training season, Dairyland Seed will be hosting our first ever Agronomy Summit in July. We will be coming together as a team for two days in Wabash, Indiana, with the goal of getting prepared for all of the training responsibilities scheduled in August and September. It is going to be a busy summer!

Product Leads

Having navigated the product advancement process for 2022 planting and putting it in the rear-view mirror, the Dairyland Seed Product Leads begin to focus much of the summer and fall months to the 2023 corn and soybean pipeline.

While simultaneously concentrating and evaluating the newly released lines for 2022 with our Regional Agronomists, a large portion of the responsibility is evaluating preliminary research data and physically observing the pipeline of experimental material. These are the lines that will drive improvements in agronomic strength and yield and ensure success in the not-so-distant future.

soybean leader, rod moran, gives a hands-on presentation at the dealer training session

These Corteva research plots are locally managed research locations across the Dairyland Seed footprint and number well into the hundreds for both crops. Containing multiple maturity zones and differing trait platforms, these sites test pre-commercial (experimental), current commercial, and multiple competitor products in replicated randomized design to ensure that the data collected and analyzed at the end of the season is statistically valid.

Being able to view these lines personally, while collaborating with Corteva breeders and scientists, drives the birthing process that bring the newest competitive products to strengthen our portfolio. To observe side-by-side commercial and experimental products in large plot formats within the specific geographies brings an excitement and yearly positive reset, building incredible optimism that we look forward to year after year. This process is beneficial for Dairyland Seed and our grower customers.

We would like to say thank you to all of you that help get these plots planted and harvested. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and provide us with invaluable information. We look forward to seeing you all this summer!