Failed Corn Hybrid Sparks Investigation into Causes

A corn farmer in Indiana is struggling to determine why their new hybrid crop failed to produce expected yields. The hybrid, which showed promise earlier in the season, ultimately yielded marginal results.

Dennis Lund, a member of the Indiana Certified Crop Adviser panel, weighed in on the issue with several suggestions for improvement.

'Hybrids respond differently to challenging environments,' explained Danny Greene, a crop consultant. 'If you changed your nitrogen plan from what worked last year, that could have influenced this hybrid's performance this year.'

Greene also recommended rotating crops to spread risk and utilizing multiple hybrids in the same field.

'You need to work with a package of hybrids to spread your risk,' Greene said. 'Consider utilizing a portion of your acres every year to test new hybrids to rotate in.'