VARIETY SELECTION DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE EARLIER EVERY YEAR. IN THE RUSH to secure selected varieties, choices are being made with limited coded trial data and no data from the 2012 grower practices record system. Will it be important to know just how different varieties performed under droughty conditions in 2012? If 2013 remains dry this information could be important for variety selection. Highly intense sales tactics can lead to poorly informed decisions. If you must make early variety selection decisions reserve the right to change your seed orders. Will you be on target with variety selection in 2013?

Other Variety Selection Considerations

• New seed treatments will be available for 2013. Choose with care the ones that best fit your disease and insect control needs.
• RRV disease incidence and severity maps will be updated by September 21, 2012. These maps are based on long term disease potential not just the 2012 observations. They are available:
• On the Internet
• From your agriculturist
• From your seed dealer
  
  
• Disease nursery data for every variety for all diseases is available
  
  
• On the Internet
• From your agriculturist
• From your seed dealer

Early Soybean, Dry Bean Harvests = Liming Opportunities

The early bean crop harvest provides an ideal opportunity to apply lime to these fields this fall. Following a soybean crop with wheat in 2013 would maximize benefits of lime to sugarbeets in 2014.

Critical 2012 Field Observations Impact Future profitability

• Variety versus stand establishment
• Starter fertilizer performance
• Disease incidence and severity in each field
• Uniformity of crop canopy and color to guide 2013 N management
• Fungicide performance and 2013 management program choices
• Glyphosate performance in all crops and resistant weed management strategies for 2013.

Very Important: Write down observations NOW - so your details will be remembered and documented next winter.

NDSU/UM Production Practice survey is online now. Please fill out the survey. It will help guide research and education programs in the future. See letter for details.