5 Questions to Ask Your Retailer Before Planting
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The winter months provide an excellent opportunity to spend time working with your trusted advisers to prepare for a new season. If you’re planning to meet or talk with your local ag retailer in the coming weeks, it’s a good idea to have a list of questions you’d like to ask to make the most of that conversation. Asking the right questions can help you come away feeling ready to hit the ground running when it’s time for applications and planting in 2022.
We have a list of five questions to help get the conversation rolling:
- What worked in 2021? When meeting with your retailer over the winter months, you’ll likely have data from your 2021 season on hand. Going over your weed control and nutrient management programs is a great way to inform your plans for 2022. The first step is deciding where those programs were successful. This can help you decide what practices and products to keep for the new season.
- What didn’t work in 2021? The next step is to talk with your retailer about what aspects of your weed control and nutrient management plans did not work last year, including specific challenges you faced. This question will naturally lead to Question 3.
- What do I need to do differently in 2022? After you and your retailer discuss what did and did not work for your corn and soybean fields in 2021, you can ask what needs to change in 2022.
Depending on the challenges you experienced this season, there may be some tweaks you can make. If, for example, hail damaged your corn over the summer, hurting your yield, there’s not much you could have done to change that. However, if you found a flush of herbicide-resistant weeds in your field, you can plan for a new solution to control those weeds next season. - What are some good backup weed control solutions? Supply chain issues have been a challenge this year, and they are likely to continue next year. Knowing this, it’s important to talk with your retailer about the products you’re planning to use in 2022 and whether they will be available. You may want to buy those supplies earlier than you normally would or discuss some possible backup solutions if you can’t find your first choice.
At this point, some postemergence herbicides that are manufactured overseas seem to be affected by the supply chain challenges. Therefore, asking your retailer about other options is a smart idea. For example, you may want to consider putting a heavier emphasis on preemergence solutions with multiple modes of action and extended residual activity to protect your corn and soybean fields. Your retailer can help you make the right decisions. - How can I get the most out of my nitrogen investment in 2022? Fertilizer prices spiked in 2021. Nearly every category of nitrogen fertilizer doubled in price between fall 2020 and fall 2021. So, it will be important to discuss how you can get the best return on investment for your nitrogen in 2022. You can talk about soil testing to ensure you’re getting the right amount applied and figure out optimal application timing.
You also can ask your retailer about using a proven nitrogen stabilizer such as N-Serve® nitrogen stabilizer or Instinct NXTGEN® nitrogen stabilizer to protect your investment. N-Serve can be used with anhydrous ammonia, and Instinct NXTGEN can be used with urea, UAN and liquid manure. Both solutions are powered by Optinyte® technology, which is proven to increase yield by an average of 5.2% when used with spring applications.1
Of course, these probably aren’t the only questions you’ll want to ask your retailer. Your farming operation is unique and comes with its own set of challenges each season. While you work with your trusted advisers to get ready for 2022, you also can visit Corteva.us to find the right crop protection solutions to fit your farm and optimize your yield potential.
1Wolt, J. D. 2004. A meta-evaluation of nitrapyrin agronomic and environmental effectiveness with emphasis on corn production in the Midwestern USA. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 69: 23–41.
Instinct NXTGEN® is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Do not fall-apply anhydrous ammonia south of Highway 16 in the state of Illinois. Always read and follow label directions.
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