Focusing solely and intensely on seed corn for 80 years, Wyffels Hybrids has become the fastest-growing seed corn brand across the Corn Belt—and this season, the independent, family-owned company expanded its footprint into Western Indiana.
Evaluating performance across new territory has provided valuable insight during a growing season marked by wide weather swings.
“It’s been really fun this summer to see some of our top-performing hybrids, as well as new hybrids, planted over there—to be able to evaluate and see what they act like as we move to the east,” said Robby Meeker, Area Agronomy Manager for Wyffels.
With the rollercoaster season Indiana producers faced, Meeker expects considerable field-to-field variability this fall. However, he noted that the lineup has handled late-season pressure exceptionally well.
“Our top-selling 114-day product, Wyffels W7945, has handled the heat, handled the wetness, and handled the disease of stalk health,” Meeker said. “It’s handled that really well.”
Even with solid genetics in the field, Meeker emphasizes that growers must stay vigilant with in-field scouting rather than judging standability from the cab.
“I’ve looked at cornfields that look green from the road, but you get out there and you pinch that stalk maybe six inches or eight inches above the soil surface, and you can kind of tell that those stalks are squishy,” Meeker warned. “There could be some vulnerability to a wind event or a rain event coming in here in September and October. So we need to stay diligent, make sure we’re scouting our fields, and prioritizing fields that we find that in to get pushed up on the harvest schedule.”
To learn more about hybrid performance and scouting recommendations, visit wyffels.com.
