2022 Planting Update 3

As an NK sales representative for southwest Iowa, Andrew Noland says that a lot has changed since last fall, when dry conditions had local farmers fearing an impending drought. Several late winter snows followed — along with a cool, wet spring — and that set the stage for delayed fertilizer applications and tillage, which set planting back by several weeks for many Iowa row crop farmers. Despite the delay, Noland believes that the season ahead looks promising.

“Last year was drier, which allowed us to get most of our corn in by May 10, and that makes us feel like we’re really behind this year,” says Noland. “But guys are working hard and have planted a lot in a short amount of time, so we’re catching up. I think we have a good chance of getting a lot of the corn crop in the ground by May 25, and I’m optimistic we can get all our soybeans in by June 1.”

For corn, he says that NK1188, now in its third year of availability, is a star performer.

“It’s our lead product that I sell a lot of in my territory, and I have high hopes for it again this season,” he says. “It’s consistent across multiple environments and soil types, and it was in the top half to top third of every test plot last year. Regardless of management style, it’s a hybrid farmers can plant on just about every acre.”

For soybean performance, Noland encourages farmers in southwest Iowa to consider a standby variety, S35-E3, that he says has really proven itself. “Year in and year out, it’s been a dependable variety that farmers can count on,” he says. “In my area, it was planted on a lot of acres last year and showed very strong performance.”

Whether they opt for the elite, new NK Field Forged™ products or tried-and-true favorites, Noland says that farmers in his area share a common concern: whether to plant marginal ground.

“The question that keeps popping up this year is: Is this land fit to plant, or should I keep the seed in the bag?” shares Noland. “My advice is that you kind of have to pick your poison, whether that means waiting to plant after May 10, at which point the calendar says we start to lose yield, or planting earlier, when it’s cold and muddy. Here in mid-May, we are flirting with that line, but I’m still confident that we’ll get a stretch of dry days and get soybeans planted by June 1 without having to make any drastic changes.”

A Closer Look: Andrew Noland’s Top Picks for Southwest Iowa

NK1188 (Field Forged Series). This hybrid features consistent yield potential and agronomics across environments. Farmers will note its attractive plant height and ear placement, and they will appreciate its improved test weight and grain quality and its dependable drought tolerance.

S35-E3. For superior performance across geographies, farmers will want to look at S35-E3. Key attributes of this variety include very strong yields across multiple years, reliable Sudden Death Syndrome tolerance and exceptional Southern Stem Canker protection.