Results from the 2024 Tennessee OVT and CST trials are now available in pdf or excel format. Tests were grouped by maturity into early (<114 DAP), medium (114 – 116 DAP), and full (> 116 DAP). Data were collected on yield, moisture, test weight, lodging, height, protein, oil, starch, and disease.

AgResearch and Education Center (REC): Forty corn hybrids were evaluated at nine sites in small plot replicated trials . There were 10 hybrids in the early- (Tables 4-5), 21 hybrids in the medium- (Tables 9-10), and 9 hybrids in the full-season (Tables 14-15) tests.

County Standard Tests (CST): Twenty-seven corn hybrids were evaluated in unreplicated strip trials. Trials consisted of an early- (11 hybrids at 9 locations, Table 6), a medium- (8 hybrids at 15 locations, Table 11), and full-season test (8 hybrids at 14 locations, Table 16).

Common to both the REC and CS tests were 5 early-season, 7 medium-season, and 3 full-season hybrids (Tables 8, 13, 18). Hybrids in the “A Group” (not statistically different from the highest yielding hybrid) are listed below for each trial and test (click the image to view larger size).

Several questions have come in this week regarding longer-term grain storage. Commodity prices for both corn and soy have prompted this question as producers look to 2025 futures. How long grain can be safely stored without a degradation in quality depends on several factors.

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I want to enter into this conversation with great humility and respect, as many of our neighbors and fellow Tennesseans have suffered great loss in the wake of Helene. As devastating as crop loss and seed damage can be, many have lost much more.

Nevertheless, as we have returned to soybean harvest following hurricane Helene, myself and producers alike are experiencing a severe decline in soybean seed quality. I have heard reports that elevators are rejecting some loads entirely, and of dockages as high as $2 bushel^-1 for others. With average yields and commodity prices not where we’d like for them to be in 2024, this is definitely not the finish we were hoping for.

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Here we are, at the end of one of the more challenging seasons we’ve experienced in the past 10 years.  Although some have reported disappointing yields, many have been pleasantly surprised and I believe our best crop may just now be beginning to be harvested.  Still, margins remain thin. Based on our current temperatures, we have an opportunity to shave a few cents off the budget in our last few defoliation applications.  In this blog, I cover some last-minute thoughts on defoliation timing and product selection. Continue reading →

We have been busy getting corn harvested and cover crops ready for planting over here! As you start thinking about which cover crop species/varieties you’d like to try this year, take a look at the latest data from our Southern Cover Crop Variety Trial. This trial covers a broad region of the Southeast, with sites in TN, KY,  AR, NC, SC, VA, AL, GA, FL, and TX.

This year we evaluated 20 varieties, including 1 brassica, 9 cereals, and 10 legumes.  These included the following species, with number of varieties evaluate indicated in parentheses:  daikon radish (1 ), cereal rye (2 ), oat (6 ), triticale (1), balansa clover (1), berseem clover (1), crimson clover (3), Persian clover (1), red clover (1), common vetch (1), and hairy vetch (1).

Establishment, cover crop cover and weed suppression during the growing season, and biomass, height, nitrogen release, and forage nutritive value at an early spring (pre-corn) and late spring (pre-soybean) evaluation date were evaluated for each entry. Methods used to evaluate and analyze these data and graphs of environmental conditions at each site during the cover crop growing season can be found in the 2024 Southern Cover Crop Variety Trial Report Final pdf version of the report. Result tables are listed in the pdf or as a separate download in excel.

We hope you find this data useful in your search for the best cover crop species/varieties to fit your location and your growing system!