But he cautions farmers to be careful of overapplication. Weed and pest control is always important. Briggs says weed and pest control are issues every year, and the best way to deal with them is to scout fields for potential problems. Drainage is a factor that often can be corrected, although the resulting yield increase might not be enough to offset the cost of installing tile or instituting other drainage methods. Briggs says this is one area where global positioning programs may be of help because farmers may be better able to locate drainage problems and measure the cost in lost yield.
Hybrid choice is something all seed companies talk about.
The type of soil and farming program will influence hybrid choice. Improvements in hybrids have helped farmers gradually increase yield levels over the past 30 years, Briggs says. Yields have been gradually rising by about a bushel or more a year, he adds. That is one reason to keep an eye out for yield plateaus, he adds. Though yields will dip and rise from year to year, the trend should be up.