If they have not been compared to other varieties in a University performance trial, don't take a chance on them. Select varieties with as much disease resistance and tolerance as possible as a means of holding onto yield. Such varieties don't cost any more than susceptible ones. Ohio loses 6 to 12 bushels per acre each year due to disease. Reduce the seeding rate for normal varieties from 200,000 to 150,000 and use seed treatments to produce an adequate stand that is healthy.
Seed treatment pays.
For weed control in the normal varieties, use reduced rates of post emergence herbicides where weed pressures are moderate to low. Pay close attention to herbicide application timing. Don't keep your grain to use for seed. Hundreds of studies show that while saved grain is cheaper than purchased seed, yet yield losses from saved seed are almost always greater than the savings in seed cost, resulting in less profit. The quality of grain coming from many Ohio fields was poor.