Since I arrived in Iowa, I feel like I am always finding myself saying that the year prior was not normal. Every year it seems like when things can?t get any stranger, the good Lord says, ?you ain?t seen nothin? yet.? 2021 was another year for the record books. We saw not only regional variability but high variability just inside the confines of our state. What?s more, even the most challenged acres seemed to impress and surprise producers by the time fall rolled around.
What awaits us in 2022 is anybody?s guess. We can only take what we have learned in prior years and make the best decisions we can. To that end, Iowa producers need to make sure they are being diverse enough in their selection of corn hybrids, to be ready for whatever is thrown at us this year.
Audio: Full interview with Golden Harvest’s Andy Ackley
Andy Ackley is a Corn Product Manager with Golden Harvest, and he has Iowa inside his territory. He talks about some of the challenges we saw in 2021. Weather is always the primary factor. It dictates what kind of disease, pest, and weed pressure we can see throughout the growing season.
Last year gave us surprising amounts of disease pressure. Some of those diseases expanded further than in years past. We also saw the standard disease that show up in most years.
When it comes to pests, corn rootworm topped the list in Iowa for 2021. Ackley says that he thinks we may be in for even more problems with the billion-dollar pest in 2022. He says that corn borers were not as prevalent as in years past, but that ear worm saw a resurgence across Iowa acres. He also mentions a few options that farmers have to fight back in the Golden Harvest line.
Your trait selection is the biggest decision you make that affects your whole year. Some of you may still be on the fence on which acres will be corn, and which ones will be beans. If you are still looking for some corn hybrids to fill out your acres, Ackley talks about some Golden Harvest hybrids that can give you good protection against all the issues we discussed above.
To learn more, visit your local Golden Harvest retailer, or check out the Golden Harvest website.
