Each year, Atlanta, Ind.-based Beck’s Hybrids puts out one of the most comprehensive books on ag research centered around the company’s Practical Farm Research (PFR) program.
Agronomic data sourced from the PFR program is designed to help growers find new ways to better manage their farms and increase their ROI through the 256-page compendium of ag research.
Testing sites for Beck’s 2024 research book were in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Colorado and Wyoming.
Below, Strip-Till Farmer recaps some of the highlights from Beck’s “PFR Proven” success strategies for corn and soybeans.
Tips for Best Corn Planting
Planting Time. Beck’s studies over more than 2 decades show the penalty for planting corn late isn’t as severe as with soybeans. The optimum planting date is the final 2 weeks of April, but Beck’s says a uniform stand in corn is more important than the planting date.
Proper no-till closing wheels is also seen by Beck’s researchers as fairly essential with corn. Tests of different closing wheels made by Yetter, Schaffert, Copperhead Ag and SI Distributing showed a yield advantage of 2.7-5% when compared to results with 2 rubber wheels.
Closing the seed trench and optimizing seed-to-soil contact is essential for uniform emergence, which leads to higher yields. When planting conditions are not ideal, spiked closing wheels help crumble the sidewall and can eliminate tomahawk roots.
Managing Nitrogen. There are often fierce debates about where nitrogen (N) should be placed to get corn seedlings off to a strong start.
Beck’s found some evidence planting fertilizer on both sides of the seed at planting can have benefits. A 4-year multi-location study found the highest average corn yields (223 bushels per acre) came with 60 pounds of N per acre placed in a 2-by-2-by-2 configuration. That was only 1 bushel better then 30 pounds of N with the same setup, but both topped the 2-by-2 application by 7 bushels per acre.
Split N applications can reduce the risk of lost nutrients during early-season rainfall and improve ROI, Beck’s says, citing a 3-year, multi-location study of UAN and urea application that measured yield averages.
UAN pre-plant and incorporated for corn brought in 215 bushels per acre and no ROI, the study shows. UAN applied in a 2-by-2-by-2 configuration at V3 yielded an average of 226 bushels per acre and a net return of $57. UAN applied at V6 brought a slightly lower ROI.
Plant Early? Data from 24 years of multi-location trials says that’s the case, according to Beck’s, with the optimum time for corn April 16-30, followed by May 1-15.
EARLY BIRD. Beck’s studies show the penalty for planting corn late isn’t as severe as with soybeans. The optimum planting date is in the April 16-30 window. Beck’s Practical Farm Research Program
Beck’s recommends planting early with the correct seeding rate at the correct planting depth, and into the correct conditions, to get seed off to a good start. Planting early gives the crop more opportunity to capture sunlight and allows for more carbohydrates to be produced and potentially stored for use during grain fill.
Boosting P Availability. Strip-tillers planting corn early or in cold, wet conditions may face challenges with phosphorus (P) availability. Beck’s says fields like these are prime candidates for “an increased likelihood of response to in-furrow nutrient applications,” especially those containing P. Beck’s suggests targeting acres with low P tests or coarse-textured soils.
An analysis of yield response to 2 starter fertilizers and several starter additives found a yield advantage of 1.2-9.5 bushels per acre. The best responses to in-furrow sugar applications tend to occur when soils are warmer at planting, Beck’s found, which often coincides with increased biological activity in the soil. Use sugar in-furrow when planting later into warmer soils.
Vetting Biologicals. Naturally derived biological products are a very hot topic among strip-tillers right now, although there are many questions about the return on investment.
Beck’s tested several biologicals and bio-stimulants and came away with this advice: The best opportunity for an economic return from biologicals and bio-stimulants likely comes from soils and situations where the native biology may be limited.
“UAN applied in a 2-by-2-by-2 configuration at V3 yielded an average of 226 bushels per acre…”
Six products studied in corn — some applied in furrow, others in 2-by-2 — brought a yield advantage of 3.3-9.8 bushels per acre.
Managing Residue. When it’s harvest time, strip-tillers must always be mindful of residue processing and distribution so not to create headaches the next planting season with windrows of residue or piles that keep the soil from warming up.
Beck’s says managing residue can speed up degradation, allowing for an earlier release of nutrients, and it can facilitate no-tilling crops. “Oftentimes, we noted more uniform emergence and higher final stands when planting into stalks that had been managed to decompose quicker,” the company says.
Beck’s recently tested 2 residue management products and corn head innovations and found positive results with both.
The Yetter Stalk Devastator produced a yield advantage of 6.3 bushels per acre, and the Capello Quasar chopping head showed a nearly 15-bushel advantage.
Squeezing Out More Profit in Soybeans
ROI on Seed Treatments. Beck’s says that as earlier planting dates tend to drive yield, seed treatments will play an increasingly more important role in protecting the plants from diseases and insects.
A 15-year study of Beck’s Escalate seed treatment in soybeans found an average ROI of $44 per acre compared to untreated soybeans. The range of ROI varied from $10 (2018) to $124 (2014) per acre, depending on the year.
Early Decisions. Strip-tillers may often face complicated decisions on how early to plant soybeans and what planting rate to use. Beck’s says it normally doesn’t recommend a planting rate of 100,000 seeds per acre, but the company’s seeding rate data indicates two things:
- Seeding soybeans over 150,000 seeds per acre is likely less profitable
- Replanting a relatively uniform thin stand in the 80,000-100,000 seeds-per-acre range is usually unwarranted. Any seeding rate planted early out-yields every seeding rate planted later.
A 7-year multi-location study of economically optimum seeding rates (EOSR) found that soybean profitability started to erode as plant populations reach 175,000 per acre.
Enhancing, Protecting Plants. An extensive study by Beck’s of numerous foliar nutrition products for soybeans, applied at the R1-R3 or V3-V4 stage, showed a yield advantage of 1-5 bushels per acre. Most treatments brought a positive ROI based on their performance — but the level of payoff varied.
When applying foliar nutrition products in the early vegetative growth stages, Beck’s suggests picking products that contain manganese. Boron is the primary nutrient to include when making foliar applications during the reproductive stages.
Stress mitigation products for soybeans are also popular in some situations. The products contain components like bio-stimulants, carbon sources and nutrition to help plants mitigate the physiological impact of stress.
In Beck’s studies, a Group 14 herbicide was applied to induce crop stress. The 4 products tested produced a yield advantage of 1-1.7 bushels per acre.
Use More Modes. Beck’s studied another popular product category, fungicides, from a variety of ag manufacturers. The products carried a variety of modes of action, including triazole, strobilurin and SDHI, all applied at the R3 stage in soybeans.
All of the products produced a yield advantage over untreated checks, ranging from 2.5-6.6 bushels per acre. “Select fungicides with multiple modes of action. We often see a synergistic effect when combining an insecticide with a fungicide application,” Beck’s researchers say.
The application window for boron is wider for soybeans than corn, likely due to the extended flowering and pod fill period, Beck’s says. Beck’s Practical Farm Research Program
When to Apply Boron. Beck’s also looked at boron application timing and uptake in soybeans and noted that multiple applications might be more profitable than single applications. A 3-year study on boron application timing found an ROI of $18.89 with applications of boron at R1 and R3, vs. single applications at R1 ($8.27) and R3 ($9.48).
Boron performs many functions in the soybean plant, including increasing nodulation effectiveness and assisting in pollination and pod fill. The application window for boron is wider for soybeans than corn, likely due to the extended flowering and pod fill period, Beck’s says.
“Add boron to foliar applications during the reproductive growth stages. This is one nutrient where multiple applications can pay.”
