Your 2027 Corn Crop Starts This Fall

As harvest wraps up, it’s easy to put the 2026 crop behind us and start thinking about next year. But before we do, there’s a lot we can learn from what we just harvested.

Take a little time to think about each field. Where did the crop struggle? Did the population fit the field? Which hybrids handled stress well? Were there areas with disease, insects, weeds or irrigation issues? And most importantly, what would you do differently next year?

This is also a good time to soil test before you guess.

With the dry conditions we experienced this year, some fields may have more residual nitrogen left in the soil than we normally expect. A profile soil sample can help tell us what is still there. That’s fertility you’ve already paid for, and with fertilizer prices where they are, it makes sense to know what you have before buying more.

The same goes for phosphorus and the rest of your fertility program. Good information now gives us a better starting point for making decisions this winter.

My 2 cents: Don’t just look at the yield monitor and move on. Take what the field taught you this year and use it to make the 2027 crop better.

—Dwayne Goodrum

Field Operations & Agronomy Lead