Under challenging growing conditions, genetics often separate average seed from the exceptional. Whether farmers are facing disease pressure, unfavorable weather events or other environmental stressors, they rely on strong agronomics to protect yield potential and safeguard crop health.
Adam Millang, retail sales agronomist for Brevant® seeds in Iowa, said many producers saw the value of investing in reliable genetics when southern rust swept through cornfields in 2025.
“Last year was one of the first seasons some farmers really experienced southern rust,” Millang said. “It hurt a lot of people who decided not to spray fungicide or even make two fungicide applications. There were a lot of fields that didn’t yield like farmers anticipated.”
Because southern rust is an infrequent visitor to Midwestern corn acres, many farmers had limited experience managing the disease and may not have had a strong defense strategy in place. It was a reminder that some of the most important management decisions don’t happen in-season — they happen before seed goes into the ground.
Selecting corn hybrids and soybean varieties with powerful emergence and standability, disease tolerance and response to crop protection applications can help farmers better navigate unpredictable growing conditions.
“This year, many farmers used what they experienced last season to guide their seed decisions,” Millang said. “By focusing on products with genetics that are going to help farmers safeguard yield potential and crop health from the start, they’ll be able to make easier management decisions in-season and, hopefully, see improved results come harvest.”
Strategic seed placement continues to be a priority, especially when Mother Nature creates rough starts to the season. This spring, many producers in Millang’s area experienced excessive rainfall and replant situations that created unique early season challenges. After a few wetter-than-normal weeks, warm temperatures and extended periods of dryness created a hard crust that impacted emergence.
“Those environmental tests are going to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of different genetics. Yield is the ultimate goal,” Millang said. “So it’s essential to choose not only hybrids that deliver consistently high yield potential but also ones that can withstand tough conditions and still maintain that potential.”
Seed selection is one of the first and most crucial risk mitigation tools on the farm. Millang said farmers who planted Brevant® brand products with robust agronomic packages get tolerance to some disease, stress and drought to help mitigate yield drag. But he recommended working with ag retailers to make key management decisions throughout the season.
“While the quality of seed is important as a first line of defense against those environmental factors, it’s imperative to identify if fields need a fungicide application or multiple postemergence herbicide sprays,” Millang said. “There is no silver bullet for overcoming high weed or disease pressure. Rather, farmers should use all the tools available to them to maximize yield.”
Producers also should prioritize scouting for signs of disease or pest pressure. They can work with their retailer to properly identify threats or use a scouting guide to know what to look out for.
For more information, farmers are encouraged to talk with their local ag retailer or visit Brevant.com/technology.
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