Wet weather caused planting delays for this year’s University of Missouri Variety Testing Program corn plots. Still, Chris Craven says yields were good, with hybrids in irrigated plots of southeast Missouri surpassing 300 bushels per acre, and northern dryland corn topping out at 296 bushels.

It took a group effort to pull off the MU Variety Testing Program. “The early-season weather gave us issues, but we had to pull together to do our best with the crew we have and the equipment we have to get everything done in a timely manner,” according to Craven, who oversees the program.

The MU Variety Testing Program has provided Missouri farmers with unbiased comparisons for more than 75 years: first with corn, then soybean and wheat. In all, there were 18 corn trial locations planted in 2017.

Season results
Planting conditions in the southeast were fair, Craven says. But wet weather set in at the start of the growing season. Harvest started in early September in the Bootheel region of the state. AgriGold A6659VT2RIB posted the highest yield of the region at 323 bushels per acre at the Oran, Mo., location.

Growing conditions in the southwest were tough. The area saw wet weather to start the season and then a dry spell in summer. Craven says that irrigated yields like those at Garden City, Mo., showed the benefits of additional moisture, where the high corn yield was 262 bushels. Wind damaged corn resulted in lower yields for two tests and one plot completely abandoned.

"“North and central planting conditions were unfavorable due to wet weather,” Craven says. He points out that some tests had to be replanted or were planted very late. Despite the conditions, top yield for nonirrigated corn in the north was AgVenture AV8614AM, with 296 bushels at the Canton, Mo., location. In the central region, AgVenture RL8899AM saw a top yield of 279 at Annada, Mo.

Look to averages
Farmers should not just look at the greatest yield when making corn hybrid selections. Rather, they should analyze a number of data points, including the average top-yielding hybrids across a particular region. Farmers should also review how a certain hybrid performed over multiple years.

Missouri Ruralist compiled the top 10 average corn hybrids per region and production type. They are available here. For an in-depth look at the results of MU Variety Testing Program corn trials, visit varietytesting.missouri.edu.