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 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 5” corn and soybean varieties for 2024. These are varieties geared to Northeast and mid-Atlantic farmers.

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].

Corn

Augusta

A2064 (114-RM). This hybrid can be used for either silage or grain. It is a good choice for dryland or irrigated acres with quick emergence and vigor. It has strong roots and stalks to support corn-after-corn acres. Plant at populations between 28,000 and 34,000.

A7162 (112-RM). This variety has high top-end yield potential and is widely adaptable across soil types. It responds well to intense management. Plant at populations between 28,000 and 36,000.

A1359 (109-RM). This variety is widely adaptable with deep, thick kernels. It moves south well on highly productive soils. It features excellent stalks with low greensnap risk. Plant at populations between 26,000 and 34,000.

A1259 (109-RM). This variety excels in more central markets. It has good vigor and early emergence. It is a medium-sized plant, medium-low ear placement. Plant at populations between 24,000 and 32,000.

A1961 (111-RM). This variety produces wide, dark leaves. It has high top-end yield potential and is widely adaptable across soil types. It is medium-statured with good roots and stalks. Plant at populations between 26,000 and 34,000

Chemgro

5731RRS (97-RM). A Round Ready 2 silage, this is a full floury leafy hybrid for the 90- to 100-RM dairy market. It produces tall plants with full-flex ears that thrive at lower populations. Place in average-to-better soils at 30,000 or less through the 90- to 100-RM zone of Pennsylvania and New York.

4645G2Z (86-RM). This grain variety has the Agrisure Above trait. It is a medium-tall hybrid for the mid-80 RM zone and is widely adapted to Eastern soils and yield levels. It has a good disease package with average test weight grain. Place in all soils and yield environments in northern Pennsylvania and New York.

5145RDP (91-RM). This variety has the VTDoublePro RIB Complete trait. It produces semi-flex ears with good test weight grain. Place in average to high-producing soils at medium-to-high populations.

5544RDD (95-RM). This dual-purpose corn has the VT DoublePro and DroughtGard traits. It provides good ear flex with strong test weight grain. It has good drought and stress tolerance with population flexibility. Place in low-to-average production acres at low-to-medium populations.

6749D4Z (107-RM). This dual-purpose variety has the Duracade trait. It is designed for the high-disease, corn-on-corn acres of central Pennsylvania. It has a good disease package with good tolerance to tar spot. Place in average soils at average populations.

King Fisher/Red Tail

KF43C40. Very high-yielding grain potential. It has a showy canopy that closes quickly. It is a dual-purpose grain or silage plant with flex ears. 

RT55T79. A versatile medium-tall robust plant with excellent flex, it is widely adapted with very good stress tolerance across all environments. 

KF57C80. A robust plant with excellent silage and grain ratings. It has excellent eye appeal, dark-green canopy leaves with a robust stalk, excellent roots and late-season standability. It has wide regional adaptation with consistent yields in silage and grain.

KF64C40 (organic). This organic corn is a medium-tall plant with medium-high ear placement. It features wide, dense leaves with good canopy and excellent agronomics over multiple years of testing.

RT64T39-D1. A high-yielding dual-purpose hybrid with excellent eye appeal and very good ear flex. Medium-tall plant with medium-high ear placement. 

Pioneer

P9823Q (98-RM). A versatile hybrid offering strong performance on top-end and moderate yield levels. It has good silage characteristics allowing for dual-grain and silage. The Qrome trait brings corn rootworm protection, making it highly suitable for corn-on-corn acres, and its plant health ratings allow for placement on higher disease-pressure acres.

P0035 (100-RM). This 100-day offers high yield potential with favorable drydown. It brings strong silage yield and quality and has earned the designation of Optimum Aquamax because of its resilience on water-limited acres. It is available in three trait options to fit your rotational plans.

P0732Q (107-RM). This offensive hybrid offers above-average grain quality and test weight. As a silage, it provides above-average tonnage and quality. The Qrome trait brings corn rootworm protection, making it highly suitable for corn-on-corn acres, and its plant health ratings allow for placement on higher disease-pressure acres.

P1136AM (111-RM). This hybrid is an offensive leader that responds well in moderate- and high-yield levels, and it is also a suitable choice for irrigated acres. This hybrid fits a wide geography and provides very good grain quality and test weight. The Optimum AcreMax insect protection makes it a suitable fit for rotated corn acres.

P1383AM (113-RM). This versatile hybrid offers top-end yield and exceptional plant health. It is highly suitable for early planting and possesses very good stay-green to aid in grain filling. It has shown strong stalk strength, especially late in the growing season. The Optimum AcreMax insect protection makes it a suitable fit for rotated corn acres.

Soybeans

Chemgro

C1457E (RM 1.4). This Enlist E3 variety is an early line with strong emergence and standability. It performs best on well-drained soils. It can handle all row widths and low populations.

C1957E (RM 1.9). This Enlist E3 variety produces medium to medium-tall plants with good standability. It is a great line that will handle variable soils. It produces a light tawny brown plant with good while mold scores.

C2557E (RM 2.5). This Enlist E3 variety excels across all soils and yield environments. It produces a medium to medium-tall plant with good branching. It produces a light tawny tan line with good standability.

C3357E (RM 3.3). This Enlist E3 variety has a strong defensive line with standability across soils. It has good stress tolerance, as well as tolerance to Phytophthora. It has good standability, and it will produce across high- and low-yielding environments.

C3957E (RM 3.9). This Enlist E3 variety produces medium-tall, bushy plants with strong standability. It has excellent emergence with sudden death syndrome (SDS) tolerance.

Pioneer

P22A36PR. An early group II Plenish high-oleic variety with good yield potential and solid agronomics. It is a versatile variety that offers Peking soybean cyst nematode resistance. It has above-average Phytophthora tolerance, and the 1k gene will provide protection in early planting and poorly drained soils. It also has above-average frogeye leaf spot resistance and good white mold resistance.

P25A16E. A leading mid-group II variety with Peking source SCN resistance. It has above-average white mold tolerance and excellent standability, making it a good fit for productive soils and high inputs. It features strong frogeye leaf spot and sudden death syndrome tolerance.

P34A65PR. A leading Plenish high-oleic soybean that offers top-end yield. It features outstanding harvest standability for highly productive soils, and above-average frogeye leaf spot and charcoal rot resistance.

P37A18E. An offensive late-Group III variety with solid agronomic trait package. It has excellent standability, making this a good fit for productive soils and high inputs. It has strong SDS resistance, above-average charcoal rot tolerance and is highly tolerant to brown stem rot.

P42A84E. An offensive and versatile early Group IV variety. It is an excellent option for highly productive soils and stress environments. It has strong frogeye leaf spot, SDS and charcoal rot tolerance.