Triples are Paying

This year our seed company made a major push to get triple stacked products into your fields. We believe that genetics with technologies that can factor out insect feeding and herbicide set-back should outperform the base genetics. Now that we have most of the plot data in our hands for this fall how does this assumption hold up?

Plot results are backing the advantage of using triple stacks. Triples stacks of RK870, RK789, RK689, RK632, RK488, RK438, and RK288 all outperformed all other combinations of technology in their own family (Figure 1).

Figure 1

In this group triple stacks had over a $52 per bag advantage over a similar conventional using a $2.50 per bushel price (Figure 2).

Figure 2

 

Their strength for silage should not be discounted. Grain yield still drives high quality silage and triples will keep plants much healthier providing excellent quality silage for those money making girls you have in your milking parlor.

It should be noted that performance advantage should grow as you move into field conditions. Most test plots tend to be run on better ground not corn-on-corn or poor ground more subject to drought where triples will clearly have an advantage.

Triples did very well north to south. In fact, yield advantage was strong even for early triples, something not expected with lighter rootworm pressure in the northern end of our sales territory.

With corn prices going into the $3 dollar range the case for using triples should become clearer and clearer. Triples do have the ability to return more bushels and offset their higher price. Test plot info is confirming what we suspected, triples are a good choice for the majority of farms.