By DEBORAH BEHRENDS Indiana Correspondent WOLCOTT, Ind. — Adequate rainfall and favorable growing conditions made the Furrer Crop Farms in White County a good location for a Farmers’ Independent Research of Seed Technologies (FIRST) test site for both corn and soybeans this year. FIRST General Manager Joe Bruce said the Furrers have been a testing site for 14 years, but this was Field Manager Matt Turner’s first year working with them. Bruce said the Furrers are good land managers, and their farm offers a great test site with uniform soils. He added only two other Indiana farms have been test sites for a longer time. “If they are receptive to host both, our field staff try to test both crops on the same farm to minimize travel and minimize the number of farmers they have to coordinate planting and harvest activities with,” Bruce explained. A total of 60 soybean hybrids were tested, producing an average of 71.6 bushels per acre. Last year’s average yield was 65.9 bushels. The top three performers were AgriGold variety G2900RX at 78.8 bushels for a gross estimated income of $772 per acre; FS HiSoy HS 25X70 at 78 bushels and $764 per acre; and AgriGold G3094RX with 77.6 bushels and $760. The plot averaged about 10.6 percent moisture. Turner’s report said “the bean plants were growthy and tall, with many of the varieties showing lodging.” He added that little or no disease or weed pressure was present in the plot, and plants had all lost their leaves with a few green stems left on some varieties. Turning to corn, the site was used to test both early-season and full-season varieties. “A great location with a uniform stand and emergence,” Turner wrote in his report. “Early rains had this plot growing fast and filling the ears out. A mild late summer allowed the kernels to reach large size and good counts.” He noted some kernel disease was present and added that plants were standing well at harvest, but the corn was getting dry and stalks were starting to lose their leaves. The top three varieties in the early-season test were Seed Consultants SCS 1087YHR with a yield of 252.7 bushels and estimated gross income of $879 per acre; Wyckoff variety 2500SS with 252.3 bushels and $881; and Seed Consultants SCS 1086YHR, at 251.4 bushels and $876 gross income per acre. From the 42 varieties planted, the average yield across all was 230.4 bushels per acre. Topping the full-season test for yield was Great Heart variety HT-7026SS at 271.2 bushels and $938 gross income per acre. Rupp xrD12-49 came in second at 268.7 bushels and $927 per acre, and Purple Ribbon’s PR18A12SS landed third for yield with 268.3 bushels per acre, and income of $925. In the 54 varieties planted, the average yield was 240.2 bushels per acre. The early-season test averaged 15.6 percent moisture at harvest, while the full-season test averaged 16.6 percent, with some varieties exceeding 17 percent. This year’s yields showed great improvement over last year’s average of 189.1 bushels per acre. Farmers are finding the harvest season frustrating, Bruce noted. “Cool August temperatures slowed crop development, which delayed the start of the harvest by at least two weeks. Once the crop was finally ready for harvest, rain has prevented the farming community from getting an extended run of dry days suited for harvest, and cool November temperatures are not ideal for drying after these rains. “Matt just got back into the field and will be running long hours to try to finish this harvest before the weather turns bad again,” he added. For a complete list of all brands tested and a searchable database of information, visit www.firstseedtests.com |
