With so many Bt trait offerings on the market today, it can be challenging to determine which package best fits your farm. Each package contains different combinations of traits with different levels of effectiveness against specific pests. Understanding best management practices is critical to ensuring control options for years to come.

Stand establishment depends not only on the success or failure of germination but also on early season stresses. If you notice early stand problems, carefully examine damaged seedlings to discover clues to the likely causes.

By properly identifying the various developmental stages in early season corn growth, producers can make well-informed decisions on replanting, applying herbicides, managing insects and more. Make sure to understand what to look for and how to differentiate the stages.

Many farmers feel it is a greater agronomic benefit to apply nitrogen (N) in the spring rather than in the fall, because it coincides with the nitrogen needs of the corn crop. With this thought, a key question of many growers is, “Is a spring nitrogen stabilizer application still needed?”

Maximizing yield starts with correct planting, and correct planting starts with adjusting the planter to the proper settings. Carefully check planting equipment before you hit the field this spring.

Producers who plant insect-traited corn are required to manage refuges to preserve Bt technology. With so many trait options, following refuge management guidelines has become more complicated. SmartStax^® Refuge Advanced^® available in Mycogen^® brand hybrids simplifies achieving higher whole-farm yield potential by making refuge management easier. Refuge Advanced ensures refuge compliance in the Corn Belt¹ with a blend of 95 percent SmartStax seeds and 5 percent non-insect-traited refuge seeds in one bag.

Before planting, producers planning to use Mycogen^® brand BMR and TMF corn hybrids should carefully select which fields will be used for corn silage in order to maximize quality and yield.

Early season seedling damage can significantly reduce yield. Scout cornfields regularly and diagnose problems before economic losses occur.

Planting larger seeds creates challenges. Growers should follow some basic management tips.

Extensive university research illustrates that corn planted in a twin-row configuration can have a significant yield advantage versus a single-row crop. Several factors support this conclusion.

The optimum time to select corn hybrids for the next season is often in the fall, shortly after harvest is complete and your observations from harvest are still fresh in your mind or can be reviewed in your records. Additionally, early ordering often can help ensure availability of hybrids and seed sizes that best fit your farming practices.

Harvesting corn for silage leaves little plant residue on the ground to help control water runoff and soil erosion. A cover crop either interseeded before or planted immediately after silage harvest will help protect the soil from wind and heavy rains. An established cover crop also helps improve soil structure and uptake of nutrients.

Slug damage in corn and soybeans has increased with the adoption of no-till and minimum-till practices. Because rescue treatment options are limited, growers should take steps to prevent slug damage.

When low temperatures or frost injure young corn plants, you may wonder if these plants will recover. Carefully weigh your options and don’t make any quick replanting decisions. The key to assessing corn seedling viability is to find and observe the growing point.