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• Stine Seed (21)
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• Kenneth Wolf (2)

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Trade show season is in full swing, which means great opportunities to visit with a variety of vendors about products you’re interested in. Here are a few ideas, put together by me and colleagues from the Farm Progress and the Iowa Power Farming Show, to get the most out of your trip.

Make a Plan

Visit the event website before the show to find participating vendors, show schedules and maps. Then, make a checklist of what you’re interested in, print out maps and plot your day’s agenda.

Also, watch your mailbox. Many companies, including Stine, will send special offers or promotions tied to the show.

Timing is Everything

To avoid the biggest crowds, arrive half an hour after the doors open, or start later in the afternoon and stay until closing. Overall, mornings tend to be busier than afternoons, and the last day of the show usually has the lightest traffic and some of the best deals. Occasionally, rather than ship product home, some companies may lower their prices on the last day to reduce inventory.

Schedule Private Appointments

Consider calling a vendor to set up a private meeting, which almost guarantees you’ll get the time you need to get your questions answered. Try calling the local rep listed on the company’s website, or send an email request via the contact section on the site.

Use the Information Booth

Take advantage of the show’s information booth. Don’t be afraid to ask where vendors are located. In a crowded room, some may be easy to miss on your first pass.

For a complete list of trade shows Stine will participate in this year, visit our Facebook page.  

Iowa State University confirmed western corn rootworm resistance to Bt (Cry3Bb1 corns) hybrids sold commonly as YieldGard rootworm and YieldGard VT Triple during the 2011 growing season. For the scientific community, this isn’t a big surprise as Ken Ostlie, an entomologist from the University of Minnesota, has been following cases of western corn rootworm damage for the past few years. Growers around the Sioux Falls, S.D., area have also seen significant damage from rootworms on YieldGard VT Triple hybrids the past few years, especially in corn-on-corn fields.

Growers who raise corn-on-corn acres should especially take precaution. If you don’t rotate crops, you need to follow strict integrated pest management rules by planting the needed refuge percentages. Follow the requirements needed for each Bt trait refuge program and contact your Regional Sales Agronomist to ensure proper techniques. A few excellent refuge hybrids I’d recommend include Stine 9206RR, 9417RR and 9731RR. You also can consider applying an insecticide along with your Stine VT3 or VT3Pro hybrids if you have heavy rootworm pressure or are in a continuous corn-on-corn program. It is an extra step, but it may help.

It’s also important to scout your fields and monitor hybrid progress in early to mid July. If you see any signs of lodged corn or heavy beetle pressure, take note and contact your Regional Sales Agronomist or Stine District Manager. We will look for ways to improve your hybrid selection, different rotation options or maybe look at applying insecticides for improved rootworm control.

You may think it’s the slow season, but Regional Sales Agronomist Bill Kessinger says this is a good time for growers to think about their seed treatments. In general, seed treatments are very similar, but each soybean requires a different type of treatment. To know which option is best for your bean, Bill recommends asking these questions:

1.       What does the seed treatment do?

2.       What does the seed treatment have in it?

3.       Does it have a fungicide?

4.       Does it have an insecticide?

5.       Does it have a biological with it?

6.       At what rate are they applying that treatment?

When it’s time to select a treatment, contact your Regional Sales Agronomist to discuss your best options.  

Now that most 2012 seed decisions have been finalized, it’s time to start thinking about planting season. While there are many things you can do to your fields to prepare, here are a few key steps to ensure a successful bean crop.

·Use the best genetics and traits

Stine® LibertyLink® and Stine® Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® are superior varieties.

·Fertilize well

With higher overall corn yields lately, more of the P and K have been removed from the soil, which hurts the soybean yield.

Properly fertilizing your soybean crop will give you top yield.

·Use seed treatments and fungicides, as they are proven yield enhancers

·Try something new

Soybeans need more intensive management to increase the yields, and each layer of management tends to add to the final yield.