Yield Builders content series

Beyond the Rate: 4 Ways to Sync Corn Nutrient Timing

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:53:59 GMT

Beyond “How much do I apply?” growers need to ask “When can my corn actually use it?” says Connor Sible, a crop physiologist at the University of Illinois. Sible and Fred Below’s research shows dialing in the timing and placement of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) applications can be the difference between a 160-bu. crop and a 230-bu. or even 300-bu. one.

“The key is peak uptake. Your crop doesn’t need the same amount of nutrients every day. There’s a short window when demand spikes, and that’s what really drives yield,” Sible noted during the 2026 Crop Management Conference.

Here are four ways Sible and Below say corn growers can use that insight in the field this season.

(Chart Source: Illinois Crop Physiology)

1. Build A Plan to Meet Peak Demand.

High-yield corn doesn’t consume nutrients at a steady, linear pace, according to Below. His research indicates that a 230-bu. crop can pull more than 2 lb. of P₂O₅ per acre per day during peak demand. N demand is even more intense, reaching 5 lb. to 9 lb. per acre per day.

He encourages high-yield farmers to shift their mindset from total seasonal pounds to daily availability. For example, growers hitting the 230-bu. mark typically:

Use realistic yield goals and removal charts to calculate total needs.
Overlay uptake curves provided by agronomists or seedsmen to identify the exact window of peak demand for specific hybrids.
Target the window and build fertilizer plans to meet that two- to three-week peak demand period.

(Chart Source: Illinois Crop Physiology)

2. Place Phosphorus Where Roots Can Reach It.

Phosphorus is notoriously immobile in the soil, relying on root interception to be absorbed. This makes placement a critical timing tool.

To support peak demand, Sible and Below suggest banding P under the row. The goal is to create a vertical column of phosphorus that corn roots naturally penetrate exactly when demand spikes. This results in the nutrient being in the path of the growing plant rather than scattered throughout the soil profile.

(Chart Source: Illinois Crop Physiology)

3. Use Split Nitrogen Applications to Cover the Surge.

To ensure N is present and accessible during the midseason surge, high-yield growers are increasingly moving toward split applications.

Sible notes a common successful strategy includes a preplant base followed by a sidedress application between V5 and V8. This can be achieved via knife, coulter or injection, often supplemented by Y-drops or high-clearance applications near tassel in some cases.

This strategy serves three purposes:

Reduces the time N sits in the field before the crop needs it.
Replenishes the root zone as demand ramps up.
Maintains the necessary 5 lb. to 9 lb. of daily available N during the fastest growth stages.

(Chart Source: Illinois Crop Physiology)

4. Protect Uptake With Soil Health And Residue Management.

Corn growers aiming for high yields can support peak nutrient uptake in corn by fostering soils that mineralize nutrients naturally. Sible points out that while fertilizer covers the shortfalls, the soil provides the baseline.

“High-yield growers keep residue managed, via strip-till or strategic tillage, so microbes can break it down and release N, P and S over time,” Sible says. “They also maintain or build organic matter, which feeds the mineralization engine that kicks in as soils warm into early summer.”

This “mineralization engine” provides a steady background flow of nutrients, Sible adds, allowing supplemental fertilizer and precision placement to push the crop through its highest-demand hurdles.

When Weird Corn Ears Wreck the Bottom Line

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:58:07 GMT

Abnormal corn ears may look like a cosmetic problem, but depending on the severity, they can deliver a significant hit to yield, reports Osler Ortez, Ohio State University corn specialist.

“If a field is managed for 200-bushel corn but only delivers 100 bushels because abnormal ears dominate, then every pound of nitrogen, every inch of irrigation and every pass you make across that field becomes much harder to justify,” he says.

Yield losses from abnormal corn ears can range from 35% to 91% in affected plants, with typical field-wide impacts often trailing lower, Ortez reports.

For reference, an “average” corn ear generally produces 16 kernel rows with about 800 kernels per ear, according to the Iowa State Extension.

Irregularities such as zipper ears (shown below), earless plants or multiple ears, reduce grain yield through poor kernel set, abortion or reduced kernel weight.

A common abnormality called zipper ear is caused by kernel abortion or failed pollination. The issue is often triggered by severe environmental stress during early grain fill or pollination from factors including drought, high heat or nutrient deficiency.

(R. L. Nielsen, professor emeritus and Purdue University Corn Specialist, retired)

Ortez emphasizes no single factor explains abnormal ear development. It’s nearly always the result of an interaction between three factors that corn researchers refer to as GEM:
G — Genetics (hybrid)

E — Environment (weather, stress)

M — Management (practices)

He adds that understanding when the stress is happening, the timing of it, is also important. For instance, early-season stress can limit ear initiation and potential ear number, while midseason issues impact pollination and kernel set. Late-season stress reduces kernel fill and overall weight.

Strategic Management Levers

While the weather can’t be controlled, Ortez says understanding the GEM interaction gives corn growers more leverage than they realize.

He lists three management decisions that can help growers mitigate the risk of abnormal ear development:

1. Evaluate the genetics: Treating hybrid selection as a defensive tool against ear problems — right alongside disease tolerance and standability — is one of the clearest ways to lower risk.

2. Pick a recommended seeding rate: In Nebraska field trials, Ortez observed abnormal ears increased at both ends of the seeding rate spectrum.

“Chasing a few extra bushels with aggressive populations, especially on drought-prone or otherwise stressed acres, often backfired when stress hit at the wrong time,” he notes. Conversely, pulling populations too low also created conditions where ear development went off track.

3. Consider the planting date: Researchers found planting hybrids outside the optimal window — either very early into cold, wet conditions or very late into heat and moisture stress — made it more likely sensitive growth stages would line up with damaging stress. Matching planting date to local recommendations and the strengths of a given hybrid proved to be an important way to reduce those risky overlaps.

Ultimately, by tuning into GEM, farmers can better safeguard their investments. As Ortez points out, the more sides of that triangle a farmer can stabilize or improve, the less likely a season’s worth of hard work and inputs will be undone by a field of problem ears.

Hear Ortez share more of his research on abnormal ear development in a recent podcast sponsored by the Crop Protection Network.

Test Plot Research Shows Narrow-Angle Row Cleaners Add $22 Per Acre

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 23:24:36 GMT

After four years of rigorous on-farm research, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer has successfully identified hardware and technology changes that can help growers looking to maximize the potential of their 15" soybeans.

Through replicated trials conducted from 2022 through 2025, as part of the Farm Journal Test Plot program, Bauer’s team demonstrated how narrow-angle row cleaners are key to overcoming the “residue hurdle” in narrow-row systems.

By using narrow-angle row cleaners, farmers are able to achieve more uniform stands and more robust early-season growth. The research shows these advantages translated into an average yield increase of 2.14 bu. of soybeans per acre, delivering an average $22-per-acre increase.

Multiyear Research Assessment

Bauer’s team compared Martin-Till narrow-angle row cleaners against no-residue management in diverse environments in south-central Michigan. The study parameters included:

Technology. Row units equipped with Martin-Till ACCR 1345 row cleaners, compact, parallel-link row cleaners designed for high-speed planting and narrow rows. They were paired with the Precision Planting CleanSweep system for cab control.

The research study used row units with Martin-Till ACCR 1345 row cleaners paired with Precision Planting CleanSweep.

(B&M Crop Consulting, Inc.)

“I’m a proponent of the cab control because of how challenging, physically, it would be, and time consuming, if you had to adjust each row manually on your bean planter,” Bauer says. “The ability to easily adjust the cleaners is crucial for adapting to varying field conditions.”

Duration. Multiple replicated trials over a four-year window (2022 through 2025).

Tillage Systems. Evaluations were done across multiple no-till and vertical tillage plots and one conventional tillage plot.

Yield Data. The study results were collected with a calibrated yield monitor, weighed with a scaled grain cart and analyzed across the fields’ management zones.

“Residue Toss” Dilemma

Traditional row cleaners have a 60-degree angle intended for 30" rows. In a 15" configuration, however, these wider angles often prove ineffective and frequently lead to plugging.

“With the traditional 60-degree angle in 15" soybeans, the residue just gets thrown too far and is always covering up the other row, even at slow speeds,” Bauer explains. “The back row will cover up the front row.”

The pitch on narrow-angle row cleaners contains the residue within a tighter path, preventing the neighbor-row interference that compromises uniform emergence and early growth.

Early Planting Advantage

Bauer’s research suggests the benefits of narrow-angle row cleaners are amplified as growers plant earlier. While the four-year average yield bump from the research was 2.14 bu., April-planted soybeans saw an average response of 2.61 bu. per acre.

“As we continue to push planting dates, row cleaners will probably be increasingly important,” Bauer says.

In the cold, damp soils typical of early spring, she notes clearing the furrow of residue is essential for capturing sunlight and ensuring uniform emergence, the foundation of high-yield soybeans.

Soybean Row Cleaner X Planting Speed Study - May 1, 2024

(B&M Crop Consulting, Inc.)

Practical Limits

One of the biggest questions growers with high-speed planters often ask is: How fast can I go and still keep residue where it belongs?

To answer that question, Bauer conducted a speed study with a Case IH 2150S high-speed, front-fold Early Riser planter and Yetter narrow-angle row cleaners in no-till.

“In this part of southern Michigan we have a lot of rocks in our fields, so typical planting speeds are 4 to 5 mph,” Bauer says.

The study was conducted at a starting speed of 4.2 mph and then increased to 5, 6, 7 and 8 mph.

“We’re going to suggest a maximum speed might be 6.5 to 7 mph for running a high-speed planter, if you’re using the row cleaners and are concerned about covering rows back up,” Bauer says.

Bauer notes wheel design plays a vital role, finding traditional Finger wheels offer a less aggressive touch and Sharktooth wheels deliver more throw. She says a hybrid Sharktooth Finger design from Yetter emerged as a top performer.

Bauer’s recommendation to farmers: “Test speed in your own conditions,” she says. “Performance could depend on soil type, residue quantity, planting conditions and row cleaner wheel type.”

Yetter Shark Tooth Finger Row Cleaners

(B&M Crop Consulting, Inc.)

Is the Investment Justified?

Equipping a planter with row cleaners is a significant capital expense, particularly in a lean commodity market. Hardware and installation costs can vary widely by planter and configuration.

However, test plot data suggests narrow-angle row cleaners are a high-probability investment. With a nearly $22-per-acre increase, many operations can achieve a one-to-two-year payback on investment.

Combined with earlier emergence, better stand uniformity and more reliable residue management in 15" soybeans, Bauer’s research suggests narrow-angle row cleaners are not just a useful tweak; they’re a system change that can help growers make 15" soybeans perform up to their full potential, especially for those who want to plant early.

Thank You to Our Plot Partners
This research on narrow-angle row cleaner use in 15" soybeans is made possible by: Case IH, Great Plains Manufacturing, Martin-Till, Pleasant View Ag, Precision Planting, Unverferth Manufacturing Company, Yetter Farm Equipment and B&M Crop Consulting.

3 Corn Disease Lessons You Should Apply in 2026

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 22:37:12 GMT

As farmers continue to battle through the valley of the current farm economic cycle, they can glean valuable lessons about managing corn disease from the 2025 season. According to Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie, these three takeaways can apply next year:

Diseases might be severe in one area but nonexistent a few miles away.
Designating a pest boss and a pest management team pays big.
Don’t walk away from your crop.

Here You Find Disease, There You Don’t

“In 2025, in many areas of the Corn Belt, farmers experienced 10-to-50-bu. yield losses from corn disease,” Ferrie says. “The big problems were tar spot and southern rust, often in the same field. When disease was discovered in time, damage was somewhat preventable.

“Here’s what made management tricky: One field would be at threshold levels for treatment, but 5 miles away fields were disease-free. It boiled down to the disease triangle, requiring a susceptible host, a pathogen and the right environment. In some areas, where the three components never came together, growers harvested some of their highest yields ever with no fungicide.”

That hit-and-miss disease situation, in a period of tight profit margins, made scouting fields and having a pest boss making timely treatment decisions even more crucial than usual.

These photos taken through the windshield of a combine show the impact of a disease compared to two applications of a fungicide. Besides higher yield, the stay-green effect of the fungicide can also lengthen the harvest window.

(Crop-Tech Consulting Inc.)

“Where disease was present, many growers netted a 25-bu.-to-40-bu. yield response from a fungicide application,” Ferrie says. “Good managers who continued to scout often discovered diseases coming back about two weeks after treatment. Many of them sprayed a second time and netted another 20-bu. or 30-bu. response in addition to improved standability. That’s why I say never walk away from a growing crop.

“Conversely, many farmers who failed to identify disease in their fields and did not apply a fungicide found their yields shrank by 40 bu. per acre from their July estimates.”

Go Low for Rust and Tar Spot

One lesson from 2025 that applies to fungicide application confirmed Ferrie’s previous studies and observations.

“Last season, tar spot and southern rust started low on the plants and worked their way upward,” Ferrie says. “Fungicides had to penetrate deep into the canopy to control them.”

With aerial application, big droplets often fell beneath the aircraft and penetrated the canopy. But the smaller, lighter droplets floated to the outside of the pattern, remaining on the top leaves. Most years, that’s not a problem; but in 2025 it provided streaky results.

“With ground applicators, we did not see that streaking effect, because we got good penetration across the swath,” Ferrie says. “They put the fungicide down low, where it was needed.”

Lesson for 2026: To control tar spot and rust low in the canopy, when using aerial application, narrow your spray pattern.

“If you have both diseases in a field, make sure you use a fungicide that controls both,” Ferrie adds.

Your Pest Management Team

“Don’t have a pest management team yet? The offseason is the ideal time to assemble one. Here’s some advice to help:

A team can consist of farm employees, retail employees or scouting services. Hesitant to use someone who sells products? “Lots of great pest managers work in retail,” Ferrie says. “Their success depends on you being successful also.”
You might want to assemble several teams, for various issues such as weeds, disease and insects.
On a smaller operation, the whole team can be just one person, but make sure someone is authorized to make timely decisions.
The team must know how to collect accurate data, including good pictures for the pest boss. There’s no room for emotion in their reports.
Scouting must not stop after a treatment is applied. “If a disease resurges, as many did last year, it can shorten the grain-fill period and turn a great crop into a mediocre one,” Ferrie says.
Just like the scouts, the pest boss must base decisions on data, not emotion, coffee shop conversation or someone else’s team.
While market prices influence the economic threshold of when to treat, don’t let them create an emotional situation where the option is to treat or not to treat.
The pest boss must consider crop insurance coverage when making treatment decisions. Is the operator insured? The landowner? For how much? Do any other insurance factors apply?

Can Good Fertility Levels Reduce The Need For Fungicides?

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:56:17 GMT

A farmer recently asked Ken Ferrie this two-part question: Can a soil test help determine the need for a fungicide application, and does healthy soil correlate with less need for fungicide?

“The answer to these questions is yes, maybe and sort of,” says Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

The final determination is based on the disease triangle – you must have the disease, a host and the right conditions to trigger a disease outbreak. Soil health falls under the area of conditions, and soil tests can help identify conditions.

What a soil test doesn’t do is detect the presence of disease in a field – an insight that is valuable to know if you experienced heavy disease pressure in corn this season.

“Healthy soils do not prevent disease from moving into a field, but we do know healthy plants handle stress better than unhealthy plants,” Ferrie explains.

That fact was evident in Farm Journal corn fertility test plots in 2021 and again this season in Midwest farmers’ fields as Ferrie and his agronomic team helped corn growers deal with a toxic mixture of multiple diseases ranging from southern rust to northern corn leaf blight and tar spot.

“In some of our nitrogen (N) plots, an additional 30 pounds of N looked like a fungicide application when it came to keeping corn greener longer, packing more starch in before disease shut down the plants,” he recalls.

What Farmers Need To Consider For 2026
Soil tests done this fall can give farmers some indication of which fields could be at risk to any disease pressure that shows up next season. Ferrie offers several scenarios as examples:

“Low potash testing fields will have more trouble than fields where the potash is adequate. Fields that are acid and need limestone will be more susceptible to disease pressure,” he says.

“Fields that run out of nitrogen during grain fill are more susceptible to disease pressure. In our test plots where we pulled N rates back and disease was an issue (in 2021), some hybrids died a month early, knocking 30 to 50 bushels per acre out of the yield,” he adds.

Fungicides and good fertility levels will lessen the impact of a disease outbreak, but they will not eliminate it. “Therefore, we want to be careful pulling back too far on our fertility, especially in those fields that aren’t at the optimum levels to begin with,” Ferrie says.

Along with that recommendation, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer encourages growers to keep some level of nutrients in the field.

“So even if you put reduced rates of fertilizer on, keep soluble nutrients in front of your crop,” she advises.

Crop-Tech Consulting Field Agronomist Isaac Ferrie says to manage pH levels based on what soil tests show. Even small changes can have a significant impact on plants, nutrient availability and soil microbial activity.

“Keeping your pH in check will help keep other nutrients more available, so make sure your pH levels are in good shape and lime where needed,” he advises.

Your next read: 26 Ideas To Cut Fertilizer Costs In 2026

The Secret to Planting Big Yields Next Spring May Be How You Manage Your Residue This Fall

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 18:02:42 GMT

While combines roll through fields across the Midwest, farmers have a unique opportunity to lay the groundwork for next season’s success.

“Harvest your crop, spread residue — and most importantly, be safe while you’re doing it,” says David Hula, Charles City, Va., farmer and reigning world-record corn yield holder.

Hula says one of the first steps to building next year’s yield happens right now, inside the combine.

Harvest your crop, spread residue — and most importantly, be safe while you’re doing it.”

David Hula

Residue Distribution: A Critical First Step

When the combine moves through the field, the final step is residue distribution. It’s easy to overlook, but Hula stresses its importance.

In wheat fields, residue might be baled and concentrated in the center. But in most Midwest and Southeast no-till or minimum-till systems, residue should be evenly spread across the entire header width.

Modern combines make it easier to fine-tune residue patterns. With the push of a button, operators can adjust distribution to 80% or 100%, or account for wind direction to keep residue where it belongs.

“We want to move that residue and spread it out whatever the airheader width is,” Hula explains. “If the wind’s blowing, we can push more upwind and not as much downwind.”

Chopping vs. Spreading: Tailor the Strategy to the Crop

Hula emphasizes different strategies depending on the crop residue:

Corn stalks: Don’t overwork the knives. The goal is to spread residue uniformly, not necessarily chop it finely.
Soybeans and small grains: Chop residue into smaller pieces and spread them in a uniform pattern to promote better breakdown and avoid residue piles.

If the combine must stop mid-field, Hula suggests backing up slowly to prevent creating a trash pile behind the machine — which can cause emergence problems later.

“We want to move that residue and spread it out whatever airheader width is.”

David Hula

Uniform Emergence Is the Payoff

Residue piles can block sunlight, trap moisture unevenly and create cold spots in the seedbed. The result? Uneven germination and reduced yield potential.

For example, if soybeans follow corn, leftover piles of stalks can delay soybean emergence, hurting stand uniformity and yields. Adjusting residue spreaders and choppers properly can prevent these issues long before spring planting.

Tools and Technology Make It Easier

Hula notes OEM combine manufacturers and aftermarket companies offer tools to optimize residue distribution. Whether through automated adjustments or simple add-ons, growers can improve residue spread without sacrificing combine power.

“Make sure your spreader is doing all that it possibly can without taking too much power away,” he advises.

Bottom Line for Building Yield Next Spring

Farmers don’t have to wait until winter meetings or spring field prep to focus on yield. The combine itself is a yield-building machine when used strategically. Fine-tuning residue management today helps ensure uniform emergence and stronger yields next year.

For more yield-building insights from David Hula and other top growers, visit the Farm Journal TV app under Breaking Barriers with R&D .

Four Strategies for Residue Management

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMT

How you manage corn residue now can lead to better performance next spring, says Doug Houser, digital ag Extension specialist at Iowa State University.

“Residue management isn’t just a combine setting — it’s a yield decision,” he says. “If residue isn’t managed [at harvest], the problems multiply. By the time you see uneven stands in June, it’s too late to fix what was set in motion the previous October.”

In an online article, Houser describes a common chain reaction with heavy residue that he encourages corn growers to keep in mind — and minimize to the degree possible:

Heavy residue in the fall traps moisture and keeps soils cooler.
In spring, those zones are either too wet to work or create large clods if you till.
In no-till, residue causes hair-pinning and poor seed-to-soil contact.
Planter ride quality suffers, causing uneven seed depth.
Uneven depth causes uneven emergence.
Uneven emergence eventually becomes uneven plant growth and development.
The result: lost yield potential.

Strategies To Help
Houser says he checks frequently behind the combine to make sure plant material coming through is separating and landing the way he wants.

“The thing I’m worried about is this mass of [plant material] coming through the combine will want to stick together. It can be like cotton balls and not separate like it should,” he says.

The goal is for the residue to land and form a wider spread on the ground.

“Wider-spread patterns thin out residue cover, giving you more consistent soil temperatures and better planting conditions [the following spring],” Houser says.

Champion corn grower David Hula offers four strategies he uses that other farmers might consider:

Apply a biodigester. Two examples currently available on the market are Residue and Excavator.
Put out some nitrogen, sulfur and sugar to stimulate biological activity.
Take advantage of warm days to help break down residue and accelerate the decomposition.
Consider applying a light layer of dirt if using vertical tillage.

One other factor Hula encourages farmers to consider is what their disease pressure looked like this season, and whether any is going to overwinter in the residue.

“The one positive about southern rust is that disease does not overwinter in residue,” he says.

That’s not the case for tar spot spores, which have up to 25% viability after overwintering in Midwestern fields, according to Crop Protection Network.

In cornfields where tar spot was a problem, Purdue Extension says deep tillage can “effectively bury infested corn residue and reduce fungal spore movement.” Purdue also recommends switching to soybeans next year if your rotation allows.

Two Agronomic Practices to Improve Corn Pollination

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:39:45 GMT

The 2025 corn crop is shaping up to be one of the best Glen Grimm and his family have grown in recent memory.

“We’re looking at a tremendous crop,” says Grimm, who farms with three of his brothers in northwest Kansas.

Grimm was upbeat about the family’s corn crop early on this spring, thanks to ideal planting and growing conditions. A potential yield setback in one field resulting from tight tassel wrap at pollination did little to quell his enthusiasm.

“We can still see a few places in the one field where [tight tassel wrap] occurred, but it’s not going to be a yield-limiting issue for us,” he says.

Grimm attributes his family’s pollination success to two management practices:

Their decision to grow a range of hybrid maturities each year
The practice of using a split planter

“It’s not uncommon for one of our fields to have six different hybrids, though we don’t plant multiple hybrids in every field,” he says. “We like the risk management that gives us. If one hybrid gets hit by disease or something, hopefully the others won’t.”

Mitigating risk by using a mix of hybrid maturities in the field is a recommendation Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie routinely makes.

(Rhonda Brooks)

“Designate hybrids as early, medium and late-maturing for your area,” he advises. “Put half to two-thirds of hybrids in the maturity group that works the best on your acres, then split the remaining acres between the other two.”

For the planting process, plant early hybrids first and the full-season ones last. This approach will stagger corn pollination and your harvest window.

“If you do it the other way around, planting from the longest to the shortest, you’ll end up pollinating and reaching harvest on the same date, meaning you had no risk mitigation,” Ferrie says.

Sync Up At Silking

Ferrie believes a split planter strategy helped some growers in his area, central Illinois, avoid tight tassel wrap.

“If the farmers had a split planter, and the hybrids synced up in silking, [they] were able to mitigate some of the risk, because the one hybrid pollinated the other one for you,” he says.

Champion corn grower David Hula routinely uses a split planter. Typically, he splits his 16-row planter with two hybrids, but this year, he used three.

His approach is to plant hybrids in a field with similar comparative relative maturities (CRMs) but with different flowering dates. This is information he says you can access via seed company product catalogs or your representative.

Assessing growing degree units (GDUs) in the flowering process also plays a role.

“If I’m using the same genetic package from the same company, we’ll look for a six-day range of pollination,” he notes. “If I’m changing companies, we try to find when they’re silking and come up with their best strategy.”

Grimm says his family splits their 24-row planter with two hybrids.

“We might do something like put a 115-day hybrid next to a 118-day hybrid; we try to keep them close which helps with harvest,” Grimm explains.

Straightforward Process

Grimm says the practice of going with a split planter is fairly simple, thanks to using Central Commodity System delivery with bulk-fill capability.

“We put one hybrid in the right box, and one hybrid in the left, making sure to label them for our records,” he notes.

While the brothers plant with a 24-row planter, they actually harvest with a 12-row head.

We’re able to harvest the hybrids separately because of our header and planter match-up,” Grimm says. “It works well and is a pretty simple process.”