With a very wet start to the growing season followed by an extremely dry and warm finish in August and September, the weather has thrown a lot of curveballs at growers this year.
Eric Bartels is a northwest Iowa Beck’s Hybrids agronomist, and he says that advancements in seed technology have given farmers the ability to deal with extremes in weather and to better fight back against pests and disease.
Bartels says that another corn trait has also helped to manage earworm and cutworm this growing season.
The weather has been cooperative for harvest and because of the fast pace of dry down, Bartels says the time to wrap up harvest is right now.
He says there are numerous factors that have led to widespread variability in crops in Iowa this year.
With little to no rainfall in August and September, Bartels says that early season dryness is already a concern for 2025.
For more agronomic and advice visit https://www.beckshybrids.com/
