During 2017, we have been following along with the Legend Seeds Research Team and their Replicated Corn Trials through our Farmacology™ Approach. We’ve covered planning, prepping, planting, tracking and now – finally – harvesting! The silage specific plots were harvested early with the rest of corn harvest starting in early October.

Beginning with silage harvest, the research team traveled to each location and collected samples for our proprietary silage data. They took notes on overall plant health and potential leaf diseases. They also looked for lodging or green snap from earlier in the season. To mimic a silage pile environment on a small sample level, the team vacuum sealed samples of each hybrid and stored them in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight. Data is collected on milk per ton, tons harvested, percent moisture, NDF, lignin, digestibility, and more to provide the most complete information for dairy and livestock producers.

From a bird’s eye view, Tom Carhart, sent us this great image of the Galesville, WI Replicated Corn Research trial. Directly behind the farm site, notice the grid layout. Each block represents a different genetic hybrid being tested. All products being tested are replicated three times per location for a total of about 250 different genetic combinations in this location.

Josh Lamecker, Research & Lead Sales Agronomist, snapped a quick picture at ground level in the Galesville, WI research plot. He’s very pleased with the healthy, large ear of corn he found while taking notes on plant health at the end of the season just before harvest. This was a 110-day conventional variety that is not currently in our lineup but we are testing it in our research plots. The result was quite promising!

Harvest really is report card time! We get to see the results of the year’s efforts, including the individual hybrid notes that were taken on our field tablets. All the information will be merged together and used to make new product selections for the upcoming year. Each rectangle from the aerial view is converted into an individual yield. Can you spot the highlights?

We only utilize two rows of our 4-row combine because two rows equals one hybrid in the research block. We run a HarvestMaster weigh system and Mirus software is our data collection and notetaking software. It captures moisture, test weight, and yield. Our notes for stalk lodging, root lodging, and end-of-season plant health are also taken utilizing this software.

We wish you a safe & happy harvest!