As you may have seen mentioned in last week’s edition of This Week at Red Barn Enterprises Jenny and I had the opportunity to attend FarmCon in Kansas City January 3rd and 4th . It was our first time attending this conference, hosted by Kevin VanTrump and The VanTrump Report but it certainly won’t be our last.
One of the keynote speakers who resonated with me most talked about data and how more data doesn’t necessarily lead to better decisions. He talked about some research that was done on the accuracy of a decision based on the number of data points the person had to base the decision on. In the study they found that a group of doctors was more likely to make an accurate decision when they were given 10 pieces of information about the problem than when they were given 1000.
Really, it’s interesting, but I’m sure many of you have heard of or experienced “Analysis Paralysis.” You know, when you have so much information you just can’t seem to figure out what the right decision is. Believe me I totally understand!!
The second week of January I spent three days in Des Moines, Iowa at my first Winter Production meeting with Axis Seeds. If ever a person was going to be hit with Analysis Paralysis this is the perfect opportunity. Over the course of two days, around 12 hours spent in meetings, I was presented with the breeding, product placement, and yield data on around 80 new corn hybrids and 80 new soybean varieties.
So, with all this information what do we do now?
Step back, look at the 10 things that are the most important to the region we work in and the growers we serve, and make a decision.
The decision I made was that I need to “Dial in the Data,” and how we do that is by selecting the top hybrids for our region based on the genetic team’s data and growing them right here in our own back yards. Testing them in ways that are important to our customers, and advancing only the ones that have the top yield and agronomic qualities that we need right here in Western Kansas.
So, in 2024 we are going to pivot – I know it’s a big buzz word! But we have decided to change course and do more local testing of hybrids before they advance to our product line up than we have ever before. A few ways we are going to do this are:
Strip-Trials
4-6 rows planted of each hybrid 600-1000 feet in length with a check hybrid. These trials will mostly consist of Experimental hybrids that are not yet commercially available.
Flex Trials
2-4 row trial planted at 5 different populations under irrigation, populations will range from 10,000 – 32,500 used to demonstrate and push ear-flex to the maximum.
pH Trials
2 row trials planted 1-200 feet in length in an area known to be very chlorotic. Primarily used for visual pH ratings throughout the season.
Show-Trials
4-6 rows planted of each hybrid 600-1000 feet in length with a check hybrid. Primarily consisting of commercial hybrids used to evaluate yield as well as a place for growers to look at new hybrids for their farms.
This data won’t replace the information we receive from the genetic teams of each of the corn companies, but it will help us “Dial in the Data,” so you can be confident that when you plant Axis Seed on your farm, you’re getting the most localized hybrid selection, with the highest seed quality in the industry, backed by the best service in your field.
If you are interested in being one of our testing partners, or if you know of someone who does an excellent job on their farm with testing, please let us know. We would love the opportunity to work with you!
This post was written by Axis Seed – Red Barn Enterprises President and resident corn expert, Matt Long.
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