Atlanta, Indiana
October 1, 2008
For the past 28 years
Beck’s Hybrids has
included in their Practical Farm Research studies the 300 bushel
per acre attempt on corn. In 1994 Beck’s broke the 300 bushel
per acre attempt with their leading hybrid, Beck 5405 at 308.1
bushels/acre. Since 1994 Beck’s attempt at breaking the 300
bushel mark went unsuccessful until last year when Beck’s 6733,
(a non-traited version) broke the 300 bushel goal at 302.9
bushels per acre. In 2008, a new harvest record has been set
with Beck’s 6733HXR™* weighing in at 332.4 bushels per acre.
Scott Beck, Vice President and Practical Farm Research Manager
recalls, “In our attempt to reach 300 bushels per acre, we have
tried several different approaches in the past 28 years. In the
early years, we increased our populations and applied extremely
high rates of fertilizer as well as some micronutrients. In the
mid to late 80’s, we tried using different tillage methods like
v-rip, chisel, and moldboard plow. From 1991 to 2002, we tested
zone-till vs. conventional-till. In 2003, we tested ultra-high
populations and twin rows using conventional-till practices.
Since 2004, we have compared the following crop rotations:
continuous corn, two-year corn/one year soybean, and
corn/soybean rotations.”
This year’s plot, planted on April 18th and harvested September
23rd, consisted of three (3) replications. The first replication
was on continuous corn (8th year) with Headline fungicide. The
second and third replications were corn after beans with
Headline and corn after beans with no fungicide. In each of the
three replications, BECK 6733HXR™* broke the 300 bushel goal.
Some of the key factors to the success of this year’s plot were,
“early planting at 36,000 seeds per acre, good stand
establishment, adequate but not flooding rains and minimal
disease pressure”, said Beck.
All of these factors contributed to not only the stellar
performance of BECK 6733HXR™*, but all eight hybrids averaged
over 30 bushels per acre more than the previous year with a
record setting average of 292.7 bushels per acre in the
continuous corn environment. In addition, the value of fungicide
was also seen in the two corn after soybean comparisons, where
the replication with Headline fungicide averaged 13.5 bushels
per acre more than the plot without Headline.
In celebration of this record setting event, Scott Beck adds,
“Beck’s is offering a “Record Breaker Special” program for
farmers who place an order for BECK 6733HXR™* by December 10,
2008. Farmers placing an order of any size will receive an
additional $30 per unit off their seed price of BECK 6733HXR™*”.
More information about Beck’s Practical Farm Research studies
can be found this fall on Beck’s web site at
www.beckshybrids.com or farmers can call in and ask for their
copy of Beck’s Practical Farm Research results book which is
mailed each November.
Beck's Hybrids is a family-owned and operated seed company
that serves farmers throughout Indiana, Illinois, and select
counties in Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. According to a recent
media survey, Beck's ranks as the sixth largest seed company in
the United States and the only one in the top six that is
family-owned, making Beck's the largest retail family-owned seed
company in the U.S.
*XL Brand is distributed by Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Inc. |
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