More in Seed

The drought of 2012 may have impacted the seed lot for planting this spring, and many growers have asked, “What do we need to consider going into the 2013 planting season?”...More

Data suggest that planting just before a stress event such as a cold rain or snow can cause significant stand loss. To help mitigate the risk, consider the following tips:...More

There are concerns with possible bee kills from the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments when planting corn. The neonicotinoids, when applied to the seed, get mixed with the talc that is used to allow seeds to flow more easily in the planters, and then the insecticides plus talc enter the environment during planting or when the seed boxes are cleaned. This “dust” can settle on flowering plants and weeds that bees will use for forage, or perhaps contact the bees or nearby hives directly resulting in bee mortality....More

When it comes to planting corn, how deep is deep enough and how shallow is too shallow? In a planting depth demonstration, DuPont Pioneer agronomy researchers evaluated how corn development is affected when planted at different depths. The results confirmed optimal planting depth in the Midwest is typically 1½-2 in....More

Total variable input costs for the 2013 corn and soybean crops are likely to stay about the same as last year, says Alan Miller, a Purdue Extension farm business management specialist. Variable input costs are the costs of production that vary directly with the crop grown, but don't include fixed costs, such as cash rent. While some individual input prices are expected to increase, some will decrease and others will stay about the same. Fluctuations will serve to cancel out one another and to help keep overall variable costs fairly stable compared to last season....More

A new series of Pioneer brand soybean products, developed through the innovative DuPont Pioneer Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT) process, will bring soybean growers across North America a broad range of high yielding varieties. The new line of soybean products – named the T Series (pdf) – includes 39 new products and will be introduced in this year....More

Keith Alverson and his family started to variable-rate plant in the 1990s, and now find benefit with the practice on every corn acre. He, his father Ron and uncle grow corn and soybeans on rolling land near Chester, S.D. In the early 1990s, they started reducing seeding rates manually in the dry corners of pivot-irrigated fields, where yield potential is always much lower. The practice cut seed costs by 25% in unwatered sections, and was especially beneficial in dry years, Alverson says....More

For most growers, $16/bu. soybeans have made seed treatment use a no-brainer. These coatings are early-season crop insurance, protecting seeds and improving emergence. But even before soybean prices hit recent highs, more farmers have recognized the value....More

If corn breeders wanted to put their drought-tolerant hybrids to the acid test, 2012 was the year to do it. The record-breaking drought, coupled with extreme heat, presented a worst-case scenario for new drought-tolerant, water-optimized products from DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto and Syngenta. All three have more drought-tolerant hybrids available for 2013....More

The U.S. Supreme Court receives approximately 10,000 petitions/year asking it to review a particular dispute – called a petition for a writ of certiorari or petition for "cert." As the Court cannot possibly hold an oral argument and decide each requested case, it usually selects the most critical 75-80 cases/year, with the term starting in October and running through the following summer....More