As the 2016 harvest season winds down and the push to get as much fall field work done as possible is in full swing, it’s time to put serious thought into locking down those seed decisions for the 2017 season. One of the tools that we can use to help us make that decision is plot data. But that decision is not as simple as picking the top 3-4 seed products in your local dealer’s plot and planting those across all of your acres. Even the truly elite seed products in the industry do not win every plot that they are in. It’s important to understand how to interpret plot yield data and why the highest yielding product in your local plot may not be the best choice for your farm.
Yield performance of any given seed product is the combination of the genetics interacting with the environment that they’re tested in. There are countless variables at play within these environments including, but not limited to: rainfall, temperature, drainage, seed treatments, insect control traits, disease pressure, relative maturity of the products, etc. Generally, the more plot data you have at your disposal the more confident you can be that the differences you’re seeing in yield performance are real and not just the byproduct of an extreme environmental factor. It’s important to seek out multiple plot locations from multiple sources (company plots, university plots, third party plots, etc) to ensure that you’re making an informed decision.
Your local Titan Pro dealer or Regional Sales Manager is also an excellent resource to help you sort through the mountains of plot data and help you make the best decisions for your operation. They’re your local Trusted Advisor who has seen these products in multiple environments and, in many cases, have used these products on their own farm. Nothing can replicate the insights gained by planting a hybrid across multiple acres and multiple soil types right in your backyard.
No seed product will win every plot, every year. The most superior products in the industry only win 60-65% of their head to head comparisons across multiple plots in multiple environments. It’s important to collect as much data as possible to help ensure that you’re making the most informed decision that you can be confident in. Combined with the knowledge and insights of your local Titan Pro dealer or Regional Sales Manager, you can make 2017 your best year yet!
Check out our 2016 plot results – http://titanprosci.wpengine.com/resources/performance-data/
