Jimmy Frederick is all too familiar with the haymakers Mother Nature can throw at soybean producers, but the southeast Nebraska farmer once again found success.
Frederick, of Rulo, was recently recognized for his 136-bushel-per-acre dryland crop with Asgrow’s AG35XF1 seed. The company took note during the recently announced Asgrow National Yield Contest for the 2021 season.
Frederick farms 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans. Having high production yields is nothing new for him. In 2020, he raised 148 bushels per acre on dryland and in 2017 an irrigated field generated 162 bushels per acre.
On his 136-bushel-per-acre field, he planted on April 29, 2021with a population rate of 70,000 plants per acre in 30-inch rows. Asgrow seeds have been important part of his portfolio.
“I like their genetics,” he said, adding the AG36X6 was his go-to seed and now the AG35XF1 Asgrow XtendFlex seed also has proven success. In 2014, his AG3231 produced 96.7 bushels per acre; in 2018, his AG36X6 produced 138 bushels per acre; in 2018, his AG36X6 produced 118 bushels per acre; and in 2020, the AG36X6 produced 139 bushels per acre.
Frederick likes to have a soybean plant that can withstand expected and unexpected conditions.
“Too much moisture and too much wind,” he said was the story of 2021 season. On June 25 he recorded 14 inches of rain in about five hours. “The beans got really tall and big. I’ve never had them get that big before.”
The growing season also featured occasional 60- to 70-mile-per-hour winds and resulted in some pod damage, but the hardiness of the plant stood out. “I always have knee-high beans, and these were chest high.”
While the plants were bigger the early spurt of growth did slow, he said, and that helped provide a good base. Like many producers who experienced higher yields on Midwest farms, he says the plants could have benefited from the well-publicized wildfires that put additional carbon in the air. The plants were able to absorb additional carbon and process it and the result was enhanced production.
“The crop could put the carbon to good use,” he said, noting that other producers also talked of similar results. Frederick added that corn production was also enhanced as he had a field that reached 300 bushels per acre with no changes in his practices and similar growing conditions.
“Mother Nature is a big challenge every year,” he said, adding her maze of obstacles are known by many producers including too much or too little moisture and high winds. He also adds another variable is the number of sunlit days during the production season, and he likes seeds and plants that can face adversity.
In southeast Nebraska, the 2022 season is shaping up to be a challenging one too. Frequent early season rains have hampered fieldwork but he was confident. Particularly with a higher price per bushel, now hovering above $15 a bushel in many outlets, it has the makings of a profitable year.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
