What We Learned About Our Hybrids

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Welcome back to the EZ Ag Podcast, where innovative farming meets practical solutions. I’m your host Matt Long and today we’re digging into what we’re learning from this year’s in-field trials and hybrid evaluations, the kind of local data that drives decisions and builds your Max Yield System.

Let's set the stage with what we learned last year.

Last year’s evaluations gave us some excellent data. We were able to get strong readings on drought tolerance, pH tolerance, and ear-flex across a wide range of environments. Those insights helped us sharpen this year’s testing even more, pushing the limits on how hybrids handle stress, and how they perform across different populations and management.

Fast forward to this season: five of the six plots we’ll harvest are complete, and the pH trial — which we don’t harvest for yield is fully rated. And the early results? Outstanding.

Our dryland plots have averaged in the 130-bushel range in our lowest rainfall zones, and up into the 180s where we caught more moisture. Several hybrids even broke the 200-bushel mark. We still have one irrigated and flex trial to harvest, but our initial irrigated results are very strong!

Now, that kind of yield is always exciting. But it also raises an important question: What do you learn from a plot when the conditions are that good?

Our Trials are More Than Yield - We Evaluate Hybrids

Here at Axis Seed – Red Barn, we look far beyond yield. Yield tells the end of the story but the why and how come from what we see between planting and harvest.

That’s why our team spends so much time in the plots. Every week, we’re rating each hybrid on more than twenty characteristics things like:

• Plant and ear height

• Root and stalk strength

• Disease susceptibility

• Tillering and multi-earing

• Kernel rows and kernel length

• And performance at multiple populations in dryland, limited, and fully irrigated environments

In our high-pH evaluations we’re working in soils around 8.3 to 8.4 pH we rate for plant color, chlorosis, and overall vitality, then compare ear size and fill to the same hybrids grown in more neutral pH soils. That helps us see exactly how much yield loss a hybrid might have under high-pH stress.

Doing this level of scouting and rating lets us identify the hybrids that can handle our region's unique soils, and weed out the ones that can’t before they ever end up on your farm.

So what are we learning in our plots and evaluations this year? There's a lot of promising new products and proven performers that are having an exceptional year. 

Let’s walk through a few highlights from this year’s data.

55K52 RIB — a 105-day SmartStax hybrid has become a solid choice for dryland acres, both wheat stubble and continuous crop. It rates excellent on drought tolerance, very good on ear flex, and below average on pH tolerance,  so it needs to be managed for the right acres. This season, we found its ear-flex potential is even stronger than expected, showing big yield upside across our dryland plots, and it’s been performing on fields throughout the area. 

63F60 RIB — at 113-day with SmartStax Pro  has proven to be one of our most versatile hybrids. We originally advanced it for irrigated continuous crop acres, but it’s also thriving in tough dryland conditions. With excellent drought tolerance, excellent pH tolerance, and excellent ear-flex, this hybrid fits just about anywhere on your farm.

62K69 — our most-planted hybrid continues to impress us in the field. It’s a stable performer in nearly all environments up to 240 bushels per acre. Think of it as your go-to for dryland and limited irrigation, where you need both drought tolerance and ear-flex to take advantage of every inch of rain. It’s been putting up strong numbers again this year consistently producing 10 to 12 bushels per thousand plants in fields across the area.

Other Top Performers and Up-and-Comers to keep your eye on.

45F31 continues to shine on the late-planted acre. With drought and pH tolerance and consistent yields in that 10-to-12-bushel-per-thousand-plants range, it’s a solid dryland performer for variable soils, and when mother nature doesn’t cooperate with your planting plans, it’s a great fall back product when your planting later than you’d like.

On the fully irrigated and silage side, 62C60 is a monster, bringing the PowerCore Enlist technology for above-ground protection and a yield punch that truly stands out. If you have a fully irrigated field for grain or silage you need to have this hybrid on your farm.

Another one to watch is 64H70 RIB, a new Trecepta hybrid. It’s got excellent plant height for silage, excellent grain yield, and very good pH tolerance making it a strong contender on the silage and high-yield irrigated acres.

Then there’s 48Q38 — formerly known as EXP 25002 this product will be a new limited release product in our dryland market next year. At 98 days RM, it’s blowing away the competition with above-average drought tolerance, excellent pH tolerance, and exceptional ear-flex thanks to its tillering and multiple-ear potential.

We’re also watching EXP 25009, a 112-day hybrid that’s showing big potential on both irrigated and dryland acres. It’s got very good drought and pH tolerance and some impressive ear size — 16 to 18 around and 40 to 45 long to produce excellent yields, this hybrid has SmartStax Pro trait for added protection. Expect to see this one advance toward your farm by 2027.

And last but not least, 60N61 — a test product for 2024-2025 that’s absolutely turning heads. It shows extreme ear-flex, tillering, and multi-ear capability. Last year, it topped our flex trial at 10,000 population with yields of 20 bushels per thousand plants. And this year, it didn’t disappoint pulling off a yield of 287.5 bushels per acre on limited irrigation at just 24,000 plants and 250 GPM of water. That’s efficiency and performance rolled into one.

Why All This Testing and the Field Results Matter

These results are more than just exciting yield numbers; they're the foundation for smarter hybrid placement, better stress management, and more consistent profitability year after year.

Because at the end of the day, our goal isn’t just to find hybrids that win plots. It’s to identify hybrids that help you win fields. The kind of data we’re generating; from drought scores to pH tolerance to flex potential, helps ensure that every hybrid we bring forward is a true fit for the acres here in western Kansas.

 Thanks for tuning in to the EZ Ag Podcast. Remember, building your Max Yield System starts with local data, local testing, and the right partner on your farm.

At Axis Seed – Red Barn, we don’t just test to find winners, we test to help you win. If you’re ready to identify the right hybrids for your soils and create a plan that maximizes every acre, reach out and let’s build your Max Yield System together.

Thanks for joining us today for this episode of the EZ Ag Podcast,

Until next time, remember, ag is Easy when you tune into the EZ Ag Podcast.

That’s all for today, I’m Matt Long, 

Grow Your Yield, Grow Your Legacy, Grow Strong with Axis Seed.