ASK THE AGRONOMIST BLOG

Much of the Midwest was plagued with drought throughout the 2022 growing and harvest seasons. This left many growers unable to complete some of their traditional post-harvest field prep tasks, such as tillage. According to the recent U.S. Drought Monitor, areas of Kansas and Nebraska are still experiencing drought-like conditions, so a lot of moisture is still needed in some areas. Fortunately, parts of the upper Midwest, from the Dakotas to Minnesota and Iowa, have experienced large amounts of heavy, wet snow and even rain as of late, which will help replenish some of the moisture lacking from last year.

“Nobody likes to deal with the snow, but at the same time, with the drought we had this fall, it’s a source of moisture for this upcoming spring,” says Ben Shepherd, technical agronomist for Stine^®. “We still have a way to go, but it’s good to get the moisture now; we need to see the positive.” 

Shepherd adds that if drought-like conditions continue through the spring, growers may be dealing with germination and emergence issues.

“We need to get the crop up and growing,” says Shepherd. “We don’t want to plant the seed into a few inches of dry dirt in the topsoil. We need the moisture to germinate that seed and to get it going. This latest bout of precipitation should help.”

For growers who typically conduct tillage post-harvest but played it safe in 2022 because of the drought-like conditions, snowfall now should make it easier to complete a spring pass before planting.

“If they didn’t do a fall tillage, depending on their farm practices, with this recent moisture, growers in the areas with the higher precipitation should be able to have the moisture they need come spring for tillage.”

And growers who have already ordered seed for the upcoming season should still feel at ease with their selection. 

“We help growers select the right seed for their environment, and the majority of our corn hybrids and soybean varieties are versatile. With Stine genetics, you should see outstanding emergence, even if you’re on the drier side.”

If the Farmer’s Almanac is correct, we’re still in for “loads of snow” this winter. Here’s hoping this additional precipitation will bring more moisture to improve our soil profile for planting season.

Interested in exploring our corn and soybean seed options for the 2023 planting season? Contact us to get started.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and 2022 flew by in a flash. It certainly had its ups and downs, but we were pleased to see our products perform as intended and our relationships grow with our customers around the country.

“Once again, you could say 2022 was a year like no other,” says Myron Stine, company president. “Much of the corn-growing regions saw drought-like conditions. But fortunately, we still saw outstanding yields considering the elements growers faced this year.”

Aside from delivering on our STINE^® HAS YIELD promise, one of our top priorities for 2022 was a focus on customer service. Naturally, customer service is always high on our list, but this year we took it up a notch in a few ways.

1. We expanded our reach throughout the country. We added 54 independent sales rep territories in 2022 to better serve our grower customers, including more representation in our newer regions in the South, Southeast and up and down the East Coast.
   
   
2. We added to our agronomy team and grew our agronomic resources. Our agronomists are responsible for the agronomic training of our sales team, including providing detailed product and agronomic information for all our corn and soybean products. The agronomists also manage our plot program to ensure we continue to have competitive data to back our product offerings. In 2022, we expanded our team of technical agronomists and added a number of resources to support their efforts, including installing METOS® weather stations in our Master Yield in the Field plots and deploying our new emergence study.
   
   
3. We continued to deliver innovative products to farmers’ fields. In 2022, we introduced new MX Series Corn by Stine — one-of-a-kind hybrids that are derived from the latest, most superior corn genetics from one of the industry’s largest corn breeding programs. For the 2023 season, we’re offering nine exclusive options, with relative maturities ranging from 95 to 97 days and 113 to 115 days. These are our top-performing corn products on the market, consistently outperforming the competition in our Elite Yield Trials.
   
   
4. We introduced our Stine 3-2-1 advantage — our countdown for success in 2023. To back our position in the industry as the undisputed leader in Enlist E3^® soybeans, we have the research to prove it. We now have yield data from more than 128 side-by-side comparisons that prove Stine brand Enlist E3 soybeans are 3 bushels/acre better than the leading competing trait platform. Even more, our newest “E-series” genetics had a 78% win rate versus the competition, resulting in a 4.8-bushel advantage (more than $60/acre profit potential).
   
   
5. We continued work to support sustainability. In 2018, Peoples Company, a full-service farmland transaction and management business, began an initiative we were pleased to partner with them on — the Sustainability Cover Crop Initiative for landowners. For the 2022–2023 season, 11 additional states became eligible to participate in the program. We’ve enjoyed watching the program grow, and we look forward to supporting the initiative and expanding cover crop acreages across the country in 2023.

“There is so much good to reflect on in 2022,” says Stine. “We look forward to working with our customers, employees, sales team members and business partners for even more success in 2023. Thanks for everything you have all done to support our business this year.”

Interested in partnering with Stine or growing our products in the new year? Contact us to get started.

“May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

For growers, a successful fall harvest may bring the most magical time of the year. However, there’s something about the holiday season that wraps all the goodness of the past 12 months with a bow. This year has delivered a lot of blessings for Stine. We’ve had the good fortune of working with growers all over the country who place their trust in the Stine brand. We have the best (and we mean it!), the best employees and sales team members who work tirelessly throughout the planting, growing and harvest seasons to help us deliver on our Stine has yield promise. And our families and loved ones at home — the ones who stick with us through long hours in the field and the office — we’re indebted to you for your patience and understanding.

The holidays are a time to reflect and spend quality moments with those we love. We’re so grateful to have each of you as part of the Stine family. We wish you all the magic of the season and homes filled with laughter, joy and endless memories. As we head into the new year, know that Stine will be with you every step of the way to ensure you have the resources you need for another successful farming season.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!