Farmers' Independent Research of Seed Technologies, better known as F.I.R.S.T., is a group of farmers that test corn silage and corn grain hybrids plus soybean varieties on farms from North Dakota to the DelMarva. It was the brainchild of Kevin Coey, who started by planting 12 corn test sites in Illinois in 1997. That year's work included 64 hybrids from 14 sponsoring seed corn companies.

THE DATA'S FLOWING: Thanks to today's electric technology yield test data emerges from fields almost faster than combines.

Today, F.I.R.S.T trials include corn grain, corn silage and soybeans from close to 90 sponsoring seed companies. Trial plots are planted in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the DelMarva region in Delaware and Maryland.
While 2012 annual performance summaries of the replicated plots aren't yet posted, some hybrid trial information is beginning to flow onto the website: www.firstseedtests.com  

How it works
Farmer members assist in the selection of the test site, coordinate field operations in the spring and provide all of the inputs except the seed. Companies willing to sponsor the research decide which products to test and where to test them.

Only a select group of products are tested. The same products are tested at our (corn silage, soybean) to six (corn grain) locations within a region. At each location, all products are tested (replicated) three times for statistically valid comparisons.

Growers strive to produce above average crop yields by selecting their top-producing products.By presenting only the Top 30 performers, F.I.R.S.T. narrows the focus to only the best products in that test. The Top 30 products in each regional performance summary provide the greatest potential to deliver consistent above average performance and maximum gross income.

For more details, contact Rob Kauffman, Mid-Atlantic Independent Technology Services, at 717-413-0763. Or email: [email protected]. Or click on contact us.