Agronomist: Field surprises await

Those growers who were lucky enough to get rain in east central Illinois are going to be pretty happy this fall but those who missed rains probably won’t see yields like last year.

“People that have gotten some rains in August and July are going to be pleasantly surprised with the big ears they are going to find in the corn fields and the soybean plants that are heavily podded,” said Rick Lohnes, a product agronomist for Pioneer.

New recommendations suggest planting beans first in the spring and using a full-season variety. Lohnes believes we will likely see more group four beans in fields as farmers keep trying to plant sooner.

Pioneer has several new hybrids which have been discussed at local plot meetings, including 1017 AMXT and 1093. Lohnes says this is a hard textured, shorter corn with lower ear placement and heavy test weight. For soybeans, many in the industry are excited about Pioneer’s A-Series.

The 31A22 bean is the largest volume soybean in the country currently.

For more information, talk to your local Pioneer sales representative.