As #Harvest18 draws near, one Wyffels Hybrids expert says growers really should be working on their harvest schedule.
“This is a very important time, as we are getting closer to harvest, to start getting out in the field, talking to your local seed representative, and really starting to find out which products am I going to put at the front end of that harvest schedule,” said Mitch Heisler, Marketing Manager at Wyffels Hybrids. “And are there some products that I can put towards the back end so I can make sure that we get all the crop out before it starts to lodge and lose that yield potential.”
Heisler encourages growers to get out in the field and test stalk strength. Try the push test and push the stalk over until it breaks to see how much strength there is or get down and pinch the stalk to make sure it’s got rigidity.
Heisler said at this point, as we go into grain fill, it really comes down the weather. If we get some hot, dry days, nutrients can get sucked out of the stalk to fill the ear and that is when growers can run into stock lodging and poor stalk strength.
“If it does cool down, then I think we should be set up for a great harvest, but it still important to make sure you have a good harvest schedule and a great plan going into harvest because once it gets here, it really doesn’t stop,” Heisler said.
With fields getting through pollination very well across the Corn Belt, Heisler expects growers to see another above average harvest.
“You do see some areas that had some challenges as you get into Northern Iowa, Southern Minnesota where they had some heavy rains. In some cases that means flooding, in other cases that might mean they lost a little bit of nitrogen and that crop is starting to get a little bit deficient,” Heisler said. “But for the most part, we made it through pollination great and had good kernel set.”
While much of the Corn Belt has received some rain lately, Heisler said there are some areas where there is a little bit of stress from lack of water and could still use another rain or two to finish the crop out.
“I think we are looking at another above average crop and really it’s just making sure we get all that yield potential in the bin,” Heisler said.
For growers considering Wyffels Hybrids in 2019, Heisler said the company has an outstanding product line up from day 93 all the way to day 116.
“We don’t want to just recommend hybrids sight unseen,” Heisler said. “We really want to get to know the customers’ farm, what challenges they are facing, what disease pressure they have, what pest pressure they are seeing, and what are the things that are really important to them when choosing a hybrid.”
Finally, Heisler said it’s about matching that product knowledge with their customers’ needs that will set them up for success in 2019.
“It’s too important and there’s too much on the line to not do it that way,” Heisler said. “Our customers expect us to know our products, know where they work best, and also how to manage those.”
