It’s that time of year again! Time to start shopping for corn and soybean varieties for next year.
You deserve options when it comes to shopping for seed, and our seed shopping list for 2025 is bigger and better than ever. Remember, some varieties might work better on your farm than others, so it’s important to do the research before you pick something.
American Agriculturist asked top seed companies for their “top” corn and soybean varieties for 2025. These are varieties geared to Michigan, mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Ohio growers.
Below is the first list of companies that have responded to our request for top varieties. We’ll be updating the list as more companies reveal their top choices.
For readability, RIB stands for refuge in bag, and 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] or [email protected].
Corn
Chemgro
5055AA. Place at low to medium populations in the 95-day and earlier RM zone. It grows a medium plant with strong ear flex, average plant health and test weight. It can benefit from a fungicide application.
5450. This 95-day RM has performed well across New York and Pennsylvania. It grows a girthy, flex-style ear with average test weights. It is a strong performer in average soils with good stay-green and plant intactness.
5659V. Place at medium populations in the 90- to 105-day RM zone. It is a medium-tall plant for corn-on-corn silage. It features an average disease package with strong stalks and roots, and it has strong silage potential with tonnage and high starch digestibility.
6155V. This medium-tall hybrid grows full flex ears. It produces high test-weight grain with good adaptability to moderate- and high-yielding areas. It is also a good dual-purpose option with Viptera aboveground protection. Place in moderate- to high-performing soils.
6554PCE. This 100- to 110-day variety for the Northeast grows a showy, full-flex ear. It is a strong dual-purpose variety that provides tonnage and excellent quality for milk production.
FS
4547T RIB. This Trecepta-traited 95-day RM is a fast grower and yields a nice golden crop in the fall. It produces good yield for its maturity group and premium test weight. It is widely adapted across many areas and can handle stress, but it does not have protection against corn rootworm.
4645V RIB. This 96-day RM VT Double Pro variety grows impressive stalks and roots with late-season intactness and stay-green. Girthy ears fill to the tip flex to adapt to lower populations, and it has fast drydown. While it excels in high-yielding fields, it can hold its own under stress.
5045P RIB. This 100-day SmartStax Pro variety features broad-spectrum control for above- and belowground pests, including three modes of action against corn rootworm. Its husks flare open before harvest to promote rapid drydown. Its strong agronomic package fits most soil types.
5347T RIB. This 103-day Trecepta variety features improved control of corn earworm and western bean cutworm. It grows healthy stalks and has good ratings against anthracnose stalk rot. It performs best on medium to better soils with good fertility.
5349PCRA. A new 103-day variety with the PowerCore Enlist trait, it provides solid defense against northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot and tar spot. It is widely adapted with long girthy ears, loose husk and good tip fill. Its versatility across a wide range of planting populations makes it stand out.
Seed consultants
SC964CE and SC964V. A new yield leader in the 96-RM group, it has a moderate plant stature, good drought tolerance, good stalk and root strength, and has strong northern corn leaf blight tolerance. Optimal planting rates are between 28,000 and 34,000 seeds an acre depending on soil type and productivity.
SC973Q. This 97-day variety has dependable yield potential, good test weight, good drought tolerance and good husk coverage. Optimal planting rates are between 29,000 and 35,000 an acre, depending on soil type and productivity.
SC1055PCE and SC1055V. With a 105-day RM, these two varieties feature high yield potential, good late-season intactness, strong tolerance to tar spot and broad adaptability that allows movement from north to south. Optimal planting rates are between 26,000 and 32,000 an acre, depending on soil type and productivity.
SC1105PCE. This 110-day RM variety grows a medium-tall plant with lower ear placement. It has high tolerance to gray leaf spot, good tolerance to northern corn leaf blight, and it has broad adaptability. Optimal planting rates are between 28,000 and 34,000 an acre depending on soil type and productivity.
SC1135PCE. This new 113-day RM hybrid brings a strong agronomic package and broad adaptability, with average plant and ear height in this RM group. It has strong drought tolerance, average gray leaf spot tolerance, and has improved tolerance to northern corn leaf blight as compared to past varieties. Optimal planting rates are between 28,000 and 34,000 an acre depending on soil type and productivity.
Seedway
8588PE. This 85-day RM with PowerCore Enlist option has strong agronomics and performs consistently across environments for grain or silage. It features a good-sized plant with flex ear at a more moderate height, and ears that hang out between the rows that flare out for quicker drydown. Performs best in northern areas in soils with moderate yield potential.
8989PE. This 89-day RM with PowerCore Enlist is tall and robust. The semi-flex ear works across a wide range of plant populations with husks that open to speed up drydown. It is good against northern corn leaf blight and performs best in high-yielding acres farther north.
9655PE. This 96-day RM with PowerCore Enlist grows a tall, leafy plant with a large, flex ear. It has good resistance to northern corn leaf blight and can be planted farther south to compete with later-maturity hybrids.
9822VT. Featuring the VTDoublePro trait, this 98-day variety ranked No. 1 in maturity out of more than 50 entries in Seedway’s 2023 research trials. It is recommended for both grain and silage with good anthracnose stalk rot ratings to protect standability.
9990V4. This 99-day variety with the VT4Pro trait combines the proven aboveground insect protection of Trecepta with belowground insect protection using RNAi technology. It has superior anthracnose stalk rot ratings and good ratings against tar spot. Recommended for acres with low to moderate corn rootworm pressure, and at higher risk for western bean cutworm or corn earworm damage.
Soybeans
Chemgro
C1458E. This 1.4-RM variety handles heavy soils with strong branching. It features a strong disease line with excellent stress tolerance and is a great early option for the clay soils of New York.
C2858ES. A high-yielding line with a high-yielding ceiling, this 2.8 RM with STS tolerance is strong in high-yielding acres.
C3158E. This 3.1-RM variety generates strong yields in many environments, and produces a sharp, light tawny plant with a compact look.
C3558E. This 3.5-RM produces compact, medium plants with strong standability. It’s a good line for high-yielding environments with good lateral branching.
FS
HS27F40. This 2.7-RM XtendFlex variety is broadly adapted with great performance on variable soils. It grows a medium-tall bushy plant with good standability. Manage placement in high while mold pressure areas.
HS36F40. This 3.6-RM XtendFlex variety has a strong defensive disease package. It emerges quickly in spring, has good standability and good late-season health.
Seed Consultants
SC7215E. This Enlist early Group II variety has shown improvement against brown stem rot and sudden death syndrome. It has the 1C gene that protects against certain races of Phytophthora sojae and has good phytophthora root rot tolerance.
SC7255E. This mid Group II is stacked with 1K and 3A phytophthora root rot genes. It also has good frogeye leaf spot tolerance.
SC7285E. A late Group II, this Enlist variety has resistance to Peking soybean cyst nematode; is stacked with 1K and 3A Phytophthora root rot genes; and does better against soybean white mold and sudden death syndrome.
SC7315E. An early Group III, it has tested strong in the East with good emergence. It has improved performance against brown stem rot, sudden death syndrome and soybean white mold. It also has the 1K gene and good phytophthora root rot tolerance.
SC7355E. This mid Group III has stacked 1K and 3A genes to ward off phytophthora root rot. It also improves in its performance against soybean white mold, has good emergence and harvest standability.
Seedway
SX 3514E3. This mid Group III Enlist variety has strong Peking defense for soybean cyst nematode, excellent stress tolerance and can tolerate phytophthora. It is an offensive plant that emerges quickly and brings the yields.
SX 3714E3. Another Enlist variety, a late Group III, it brings a complete line of defense against frogeye, phytophthora, sudden death syndrome and soybean cyst nematode.
SX 3914E3. This late Group III STS Enlist soybean can be planted across broad acres. It has good standability and can handle a lot of stress, with tolerance against many diseases.
SX 4614E3. This mid Group IV STS Enlist variety has a defensive package that can stand up to frogeye, stem canker and soybean cyst nematode.
SX 1994XTF. This late Group I XtendFlex variety is a solid performer with excellent standability and disease tolerance. It can fend off sudden death syndrome, phytophthora, white mold and brown stem rot.
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