Even though most of the 2019 crop is still in the ground, it’s not too early to start thinking about 2020 and getting your seed shopping list finalized.

American Agriculturist asked top seed companies for their Top 5 corn and silage hybrids for 2020. These are varieties geared to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic farmers.

Below is a list of companies that have responded to our request for top hybrids. This is the first list and we’ll update it as more companies reveal their top choices. We will also release top soybean varieties as those start coming in.

For readability, RM stands for relative maturity.

If you have any questions on a variety, contact your local seed dealer or email American Agriculturist at [email protected].

Augusta 

1. A2448-3220GTEZ (98 RDM). A high-yielding early line of corn from that was bred with Eastern agronomics at heart. It has a flex ear type, so the optimum planting population is between 24,000 and 36,000. It will have very good grain quality on a medium tall stalk.

Due to its size as well as its excellent feed value, it is recommended as an early dual-purpose hybrid. 

2. A4858-3010GT (108 RDM). A high-yielding hybrid with excellent test weight recommended for well-managed ground.

Due to its semi-flex ear, optimum planting should be in the 26,000 to 38,000 range. It will have good stay-green and has very good tolerance to gray leaf spot.

3. A1059-3330GTEZ (109 RDM). A variety with outstanding roots and stalk strength. It will hold its greenlife late into the season, and the plant tends to stay intact. 

Widely adaptable, A1059 brings top-of-the-line gray leaf spot and Northern corn leaf blight tolerance. Look for this plant to be available with Viptera 3330, one of the newest trait stacks in the Agrisure portfolio that features three modes of action against above-ground insects.

4. A5264-3000GT (114 RDM). A5264 takes a big, robust plant and brings the ear placement down to a medium level.

It has very good stalks and excellent stay-green. Grain quality and test weight are well-above average with excellent yield potential.

5. A4565-3220GTEZ and A4565 DC5222EZ (115 RDM). Girth, girth and more girth. A4565 is an excellent choice for high populations — 28,000 to 38,000 depending on soil type.

This hybrid is available as Duracade 5222, which provides a unique mode of action to control above- and below-ground insects and preserves the yield potential of elite corn hybrids.

Local Seed Co. 

1. LC9278 SSXRIB. A compelling 92 RM dual-purpose release with excellent emergence.

Well-adapted to variable soils of New England through New York and into the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania.A solid choice available as conventional, VTDoublePro RIB Complete and SmartStax RIB Complete.

2. ZS9598 5222EZ. New release with good early vigor growing into a medium tall plant. It is a great 95 RM dual-purpose option for New York and New England. 

Agrisure Duracade 5222EZ makes this an excellent choice for corn-on-corn acreage.

3. LC0488 SSXRIB. A 104 RM standout available as conventional, VTDouble Pro RIB Complete or SmartStax RIB Complete.

This hybrid has solid potential throughout the Mid-Atlantic with great standability and heavy test weight. It also has great standability and fall appearance.

STILL MATURING: Corn for grain is slowly reaching full maturity in the region. It’s never too early to start thinking about next year and varieties that might perform better in your area.

4. LC1289 VT2PRIB. A 112 RM with high grain performance potential.

This hybrid edges out the competition early in the season. It is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete that performs best on better-performing soils.

5. LC1688 SSXRIB. This new variety has genetics with a broad footprint. A dense canopy and solid silage data, this is a must-try for the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

It is a 116 RM dual-purpose leader available in conventional and SmartStax RIB Complete.

LG Seeds

1. LG44C27 (94-day). Produces tall, robust plants that have excellent standability and high test weight produced by girthy ears.

This hybrid has excellent agronomics and good late-season intactness. Widely adapted across all soil types and good drought tolerance, it is also a great silage option.

2. LG5525 (105-day). Excellent looking plants that yield well. It has a very strong disease package and has strong tolerance to anthracnose stalk rot. Plus it handles tough, variable soils as well as highly productive soils.

Available both as a conventional and traited product.

3. LG 58C77 (108-day). Produces high yields from consistent, large, semi-flex ears with deep kernels that have good test weight.

Very good stalk and root strength, stay-green potential, and late-season intactness.

It has excellent disease ratings, superior early vigor and a disease package that allows flexibility at planting.

4. LG5590 (110-day). Girthy ears that produce good test weight grain. It is consistently a high-yielding, broadly adapted product.

These medium-statured plants have strong early vigor that allow for earlier planting. It also handles heat stress well.

5. LG64C30 (114-day). A Trecepta-traited product targeting corn ear worm with three modes of built-in action, which reduces yield loss by protecting kernels from a wide range of pests.

It features high-yielding, medium-statured plants with excellent stalks and roots, girthy ears, and very high test weight grain. Very good to excellent scores against most common leaf diseases.

Agrigold 

1. A632-07. This 102-day RM hybrid is new to the AgriGold portfolio for 2020 and has shown excellent performance across variable environments.

This hybrid demonstrates strong emergence, plant vigor and very good dry-down, allowing for a timely harvest. This is a great option for operations with corn-on-corn acres and a history of Goss's Wilt.

2. A635-54. A 105-day RM hybrid with outstanding yield potential and proven broad acre adaptation. Its flexible ear style allows population to match yield goal. T

his hybrid is known for its excellent roots and stalk strength.

3. A639-40. This 109-day RM hybrid has outstanding yield potential and wide adaptability across variable soils. It has a very good leaf disease package with Northern corn leaf blight tolerance and can be used in any cropping or tillage system.

4. A641-54. A new 111-day RM hybrid that has demonstrated excellent health, stay-green and late-season plant intactness.

The variety has outstanding yield potential with a strong agronomic package. It is a good choice for no-till and reduced tillage systems.

5. A6544. This 113-day RM hybrid has high yield potential under high-fertility management practices. Its ear ­flex allows for high yields at varying plant populations.

It has excellent Goss’s wilt tolerance and boasts an excellent agronomic package for no-till and reduced tillage systems.

Partners Brand

1. PB 5858. An 88-day hybrid that is new for 2020. Excellent early season emergence as well as season-long solid agronomics give this variety a wide footprint across variable soil types.

It comes as both a conventional hybrid as well as a traited Agrisure 3120 E-Z Refuge. This is a must try for any farmer needing an early corn that yields.

2. PB 6613. A 96-day hybrid with good plant health and fantastic top-end potential, this is a big plant that can be an early silage.

Excellent grain quality with a semi-flex ear type allows this variety to handle a big population range and can cover multiple soil types with ease. It is offered in a conventional package as well as a traited Agrisure VIP3220 E-Z Refuge.

3. PB 6962. A new 99-day hybrid that just yields. It has anthracnose stalk rot resistance and very good late-season intactness, allowing it to be used for dual-purpose grain and silage if needed.

Available as Genuity VTDouble Pro RIB Complete for the 2019-20 planting season.

4. PB 7250. A 102-day hybrid that has a taller plant type with great agronomics to handle stress.

A semi-flex ear allows for good planting versatility that holds together well through harvest. Excellent grain quality and test weight make this traited Agrisure VIP3110 variety a great choice for many operations.

5. PB 8115. A 111-day waxy corn hybrid that offers fantastic feed quality for grain and high moisture for silage growers. Great ear flex allows for good population adaptability, and solid agronomics give this plant the ability to cover any soil type.  

It has excellent yield potential as a waxy conventional or a nonwaxy Genuity VTDouble Pro RIB Complete.

DeKalb

1. DKC47-27RIB. Provides strong emergence and early season growth to help get your crop off to a strong start. It is a broadly adapted product with the ability to excel in stressful environments.

2. DKC47-54RIB. A broadly adapted product with good agronomics and a very strong disease package. 

It can provide strong grain yield potential with a nice plant stature for dual-purpose capability in silage.

3. DKC55-85RIB. Provides excellent yield potential, stress and disease tolerance across most yield environments. 

This product has good ear flex and the capability to move south into the 110 RM zone.

4. DKC62-53RIB. A 112 RM product that has shown strong performance from east to west and can maintain performance across yield levels. It has the versatility to be used on most acres and management styles.

5. DKC65-95RIB. A 115 RM product that provides an attractive plant type with a moderate stature and strong agronomics. It provides a nice combination of good stress tolerance and strong yield potential across environments.

Channel

1. 192-98STXRIB. A variety that has excellent tonnage potential with outstanding digestibility.

It is broadly adapted from west to east in the 90-95 RM zones with strong agronomic and disease package.

2. 197-90STXRIB. This variety has dependable yield potential and is broadly adapted from west to east in the 95-100 RM zones.

Agronomically sound with solid foliar disease package and great ear flex, allowing for planting at lower end of populations for the environment.

3. 203-01STXRIB. This variety has impressive yield potential with a good disease package. It is broadly adapted from west to east in the 100-105 RM zones with excellent stay-green and late- season intactness.

This is a good fit for most yield environments with attractive agronomics to provide flexibility in placement.

4. 206-11STXRIB. This variety has superb yield performance potential with solid agronomic package.

The variety is widely adapted from west to east in the 100-105 RM zones, and it is designed for medium to medium-high planting populations.

5. 207-27STXRIB. This variety has shown solid performance with top-end yield potential and great disease package. It fits best in the 105-110 RM zones.

Its medium plant stature and lower ear placement offers good stay-green potential, making it a good silage option.

Medium to medium-high populations are recommended.