Author Archives: Jeff Drussell
Some Considerations for Winter Harvest
Late planting, a cool season and fall weather have conspired to push corn harvest into winter months in some geographies. The University of Wisconsin has studied these phenomena in the past ~25 years and I’ll try to summarize their findings … Continued
Short Husks and Exposed Ear Tips
Short husks and exposed ear tips were common this year. As a result, the exposed kernels were sometimes the target of bird feeding, insect damage and mold growth. This phenomenon has been occasionally present in the past but it seemed … Continued
Enlist E3™, LibertyLink® GT27™, Roundup Ready 2 Yield® and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® – Which to Choose?
In addition to our mainstay Xtend and RR2Y lines, this year Renk Seed is launching Enlist E3 and Liberty GT27 varieties in larger scale quantities. Enlist E3 allows for the spraying of Enlist herbicide (a 2,4-D choline), glufosinate and glyphosate … Continued
The Case for SmartStax® Following Soybeans in 2020
When rootworm corn became a reality in 2003, US farmers finally had an effective tool to control a billion dollar pest. Unlike western and southern rootworm, northern rootworm is a particular problem due to extended diapause: the ability of their … Continued
The Importance of Correct Planter Settings
As I am writing this, there is still snow on the ground throughout most of the Midwest. And while it may seem that spring planting is not anytime soon, it will be here before you know it. Are you ready? … Continued
Unpacking the Yield Data in the Test Plots
Over the last few years we have been tracking latitude and longitude coordinates for our test plots. From these coordinates we are using Climate FieldView™ to extract soil type and rainfall amounts to use in our own database system with … Continued
2019 Corn Disease Awareness
Last season Tar Spot, Grey Leaf Spot and Northern Corn Leaf Blight infected corn fields earlier than normal, which impacted yields in the hardest hit areas. In addition, dead fields were susceptible to stalk rots, especially anthracnose. Ear rot, specifically giberella, … Continued
Tar Spot Leaf Disease of Corn
What once was a cosmetic disease in Northern Indiana, Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin that did not contribute to yield loss has become an aggressive disease that is likely in many fields to contribute not only to yield loss but also … Continued
Impact of Plant Death on Grain Yield of Corn
About a week after the corn kernels on the ear have dented, a distinct horizontal line appears near the dent end of a split kernel and slowly progresses to the tip end of the kernel over the next 3 weeks … Continued