Corn Growers Name Top Challenges as They Prepare for Planting

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Poll Asked Growers to Select Biggest Obstacle to a Successful 2021; Results Split Three Ways Poll Asked Growers to Select Biggest Obstacle to a Successful 2021; Results Split Three Ways

Access and download individual soundbites on the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) newsroom or contact Kacey Birchmier at kacey.birchmier@corteva.com.

ANNOUNCER LEAD-IN COPY:

Planting season and stronger commodity prices bring grower optimism. But it can be tempered by worry about likely hurdles. Pioneer recently polled U.S. corn growers on Twitter and Instagram: “Heading into 2021 planting, what is your biggest obstacle to a successful season?” Nearly 850 replied, revealing a three-way split at the top between too little moisture, fertility and too much moisture. Pioneer Agronomy Science Manager Dan Berning provides advice on ways to mitigate each, starting with the 30 percent of growers who named too little moisture as their top obstacle. (:35)

Berning_ Audio_Clip_01.mp3
“If the primary concern is related to the lack of moisture within the total soil profile, then we would recommend selecting hybrids or varieties with traits or characteristics that are suitable to those drought-prone environments. And then of course, control weeds. And then thinking about other things that will help alleviate crop stress like adequate soil fertility, stagger our planning dates, stagger our maturities.” (:25)

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Pioneer estimates that every 1 comparative relative maturity adds another 2 bushels per acre. (:06)

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Berning also provided tips around fertility, named primary obstacle by 27 percent of growers. (:05)
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“If you haven’t soil tested in the last four years, it's probably time to find out what’s in the soil to sustain the crop. Set your fertility goal for what you actually want to raise and/or what you have as a proven yield history. Typically, we need a pound of nitrogen per target yield goal for corn after soybeans, maybe a little higher if it’s corn on corn. If you’re not already using sulfur in your mix, consider adding a little bit of sulfur. It’s a mobile nutrient, and we just don't get as much of that from natural sources of mineralization to keep up with the high yielding crop.” (:35)

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Twenty-six percent of growers selected too much moisture as their primary concern. (:05)
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“If it’s a chronic situation, you might need to think about installing tile drainage for kind of a long-term fix.” (:07)

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Various university studies show that installing drain tile on very poorly drained soils can increase yield by more than 50 bushels per acre. (:10)
Berning_Audio_Clip_04.mp3
“For the near term, select hybrids or varieties with traits or characteristics that are suitable to prolonged wet soil environments. For example, might want to have a little bit stronger root strength and then disease tolerance. Those environments tend to be little more prone to diseases. Wait for fit field conditions before putting the equipment in the field so you don’t create compaction. And then, of course, you use premium seed treatments on those soils to give us the best broad-spectrum control of those pathogens.” (:29)

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Rounding out the poll results was “seed placement” with 15 percent. (:04)

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Berning added that growers can contact their local Pioneer agronomist or sales representative for advice on any field challenge. (:06)

Total Time: est. 2 minutes 47 seconds

PIONEER AGRONOMY SCIENCE MANAGER DAN BERNING IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS TO PROVIDE MORE DETAILED MANAGEMENT TIPS ON THE FOUR TOP OBSTACLES LISTED BY GROWERS.

About Pioneer
Pioneer, the flagship seed brand of Corteva Agriscience, is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere.

Join the discussion and follow Pioneer on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Corteva Agriscience
Corteva Agriscience is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry - including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and an industry-leading product and technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the company is committed to working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. Corteva Agriscience became an independent public company on June 1, 2019 and was previously the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

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Media Contact:
Kacey Birchmier
kacey.birchmier@corteva.com
515-305-0085 cell

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