Corn Product Selection – Offense vs Defense

In my role as a Technical Agronomist for Channel^® brand seed, farmers often ask for my opinion about what corn products they should consider planting next year. The conversation proceeds with me asking questions about their cropping operation so I can provide them with an informed answer. Almost always during the discussion a question about the offensiveness or defensiveness of a corn product occurs.

Offensive and defensive corn products are commonly referred to as “racehorse” and “plant and forget” type products, respectively. From my perspective, the offensiveness or defensiveness of a corn product is subjective, and although it would be great if offense and defense in corn products were as clear as it is in football and basketball, the fact remains that one farmer’s offensive corn product might be another farmer’s defensive corn product.

My simple definition of an offensive corn product is one that has high top-end yield potential. I give little regard to the plant characteristics and disease tolerance scores. My definition of a defensive corn product is just the opposite. Offensive corn products often have more agronomic related issues during the growing season compared to defensive corn products, but defensive corn products may not produce as many bushels as expected, especially if they are planted in a field that typically has high yield potential.

A key to corn product selection is walking the fine line between offensive yield potential and defensive characteristics. Lean too much towards the offensive side and the odds of experiencing agronomic related issues increase. Lean too much towards the defensive side, and yield potential might not be maximized.

When making corn product selections, my goal is to identify products with very good yield potential that are still standing in the fall. Yes, I am looking for that compromise between offense and defense. However, this cannot be accomplished without learning about the background of each field from the farmer along with what plant characteristics and disease tolerances are most important to them (Figure 1).

In the end, the offensiveness or defensiveness of a product boils down to what characteristics are most important to the farmer and where the corn product will be grown. Yield is what pays the bills, but the only yield that counts is the yield that is taken from the field rather than left on the ground.

For additional information, please visit Considerations for Corn Product Selection.

Paul Parcher
Channel Agronomist

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