Syngenta Thrive

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Winds bring more than fresh air and rain to corn and soybean fields; they can carry pests and pathogens into new areas. Most new-to-a-region diseases have been creeping into fields with the help of dust, spores or insects moving through the air.

Learning about new agronomic challenges before they hit your fields helps you know what to do once they show up. Regular scouting and a predetermined management plan will help you fight unwelcome emerging pathogens and protect your yield potential.

Corn Threats

Tar Spot

Tar spot has been moving across the Midwest for several years. While proactively managing it has become standard practice for Indiana farmers, those in western Iowa and Nebraska are just starting to see it.

“Once tar spot arrives, it overwinters on crop residue and infects corn in cool temperatures between 60- and 70-degrees Fahrenheit, high humidity and prolonged leaf wetness,” says Dean Grossnickle, Syngenta technical development lead based in central Iowa. “It usually isn’t noticeable until after tasseling when scouting is uncomfortable.”

Tar spot, named for the small black spots on leaves that don’t rub off, can significantly reduce yield. What should be done when it moves in?

“Take a deep breath — it is manageable,” says Grossnickle. “We’ve learned that a proactive treatment with Miravis Neo or Trivapro fungicides at the tasseling stage provides protection against tar spot through most of the grain fill period.”

He adds that an overlapping residual fungicide application two or three weeks later can sometimes increase potential yield under heavy pressure, though the results aren’t consistent. Burying crop residue can help, but exposed spores can easily blow in from neighboring fields.

Corn Stunt Disease and Corn Leafhopper

Corn stunt disease is a bacterial disease moving north from Texas and Oklahoma into Kansas and Nebraska. As the name suggests, it stunts plant growth and ear development. Solutions have yet to be discovered.

Corn leafhopper, an insect native to Central America, spreads bacteria as it feeds on corn plants. They reproduce quickly, with multiple generations each season, according to Oklahoma State University Extension. Bugs can travel several miles during their lifespan, with females laying eggs on corn leaves. Entomologists are still learning where they overwinter.

“As with other bacterial diseases like Stewart’s wilt, if you find a resistant hybrid, plant it,” Grossnickle recommends. “Insecticides can control corn leafhoppers, but treatment thresholds will be different for disease management compared to leaf damage.”

Planting corn early, before insect populations increase, may also reduce disease impact.

Unexpected Visitors Surprise Corn Growers

Weather can bring unexpected pathogens to a region, says Dalton Webster, Syngenta ASR for eastern Iowa. In 2024, an early hurricane blew Southern rust as far north as Iowa and Wisconsin in late July and early August, which unfortunately gave the pathogen time to establish and cut corn yields.

“Southern rust won’t overwinter, but 2024 is an example of the need to watch for unexpected problems,” Webster says. “Fortunately, both Trivapro and Miravis Neo protect against rust and a variety of other diseases, so solutions for unexpected issues often align with strategies to manage tar spot, gray leaf spot and other diseases.”

Soybean Threats

Red Crown Rot

In soybean fields, the soilborne pathogen causing red crown rot (RCR) appears to be spreading throughout Illinois. It has also been confirmed in a few Indiana and Missouri counties, and surrounding states are on the lookout. Initial symptoms can easily be mistaken for sudden death syndrome (SDS).

“Soilborne pathogens can be spread easily by wind and equipment,” Webster says.

Crop rotation and planting soybeans early may help manage RCR, but early planting increases the risk for SDS. Saltro® fungicide seed treatment helps suppress RCR, and it can help protect early planted soybeans against SDS as well.

Target Spot

Grossnickle notes that target spot, usually found in the south, appears to be a growing issue in the Midwest.

“As soybean traits and genetics have changed, it seems we’ve selected for varieties with more susceptibility to target spot,” he says.

It can attack any part of a soybean plant, thriving in 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures with frequent rainfall or irrigation, especially in continuous soybeans. Residue management and practices that promote drier leaves, like wide rows, can reduce risk. Both Miravis® Neo and Miravis Top soybean fungicides also help manage target spot.

Revisiting Soybean Cyst Nematode

Though not considered an emerging pathogen, Webster notes a renewed industry focus on soybean cyst nematode (SCN).

“As growers put more focus on raising soybeans, aiming for yields of 90 to 100 bushels, SCN is getting more attention as a yield-limiting factor,” he says.

Seed companies are developing more varieties with Peking genetics, the less common source for SCN resistance. This allows farmers to rotate both crops and resistance sources to reduce SCN pressure. At the same time, crop protection companies have been developing nematicide seed treatment options.

“We know Saltro can help protect soybeans in combination with resistant genetics,” Webster says. “ADEPIDYN technology, the active ingredient in Saltro, affects the same pathway in a fungus or a nematode, shutting down energy production at the cellular level.”

Regardless of the unwelcome pathogens — both expected and unexpected — that move into your neighborhood this season, connect with your local Extension, Syngenta reps, and neighbors to share the knowledge and tools to protect your crop yield.

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Over the last 45 years, the number of reported resistant biotypes has increased rapidly worldwide, and according to The Center for Integrated Pest Management’s Pesticide Stewardship, resistance to one or more of 25 herbicide families has been observed in more than 65 weed species in the United States.

Grass weeds pose a particular challenge to cereal growers. In addition to directly competing with the crop for water, light and nutrients, grass weeds can cause lodging and seeds can contaminate harvested grain. Ten wild oat plants per square foot can reduce barley yield by 18% and wheat yield by more than 24%.

Tumbleweeds like Russian thistle and kochia also pose serious threats to yield. Spring cereals are particularly susceptible to infestation — Russian thistle can cause yield losses of up to 50% in heavy infestations. Kochia can cause near-complete crop failure and mean losses in sorghum have been reported at 62%. Increasing incidence of herbicide resistance can make controlling weeds more challenging and increase the risk of losses.

Regional Choices for Grass Weed Control in Cereals

Cereal growers have an ally in their fight against resistance. Axial® brand herbicides are high-performing chemistries that deliver consistent results, with two options to target grass weeds: Axial Bold and Axial Star.

Both Axial Bold and Axial Star are postemergence herbicides that offer broad control of grass weeds, including tough wild oat and foxtail populations as well as kochia. U.S. growers have shown their enthusiasm for Axial brands from Minnesota to Washington, with North Dakota leading in converts to both Axial brand products.

Axial Bold contains two active ingredients for control of pervasive grass weeds including barnyardgrass, Italian ryegrass and wild oat. Axial Bold is optimized for tank mixing, making it compatible with broadleaf herbicides for more efficient knockdown of mixed weeds and less grass antagonism.

Axial Star provides industry-leading control of mixed-grass and kochia, with tank-mix flexibility to tailor weed control solutions to each field’s specific needs.

Tank-Mix Partners Enhance Cereal Weed Control

Talinor® herbicide is as an ideal tank-mix partner with Axial brand products because it controls more than 45 tough broadleaf weeds in wheat and barley including kochia, mayweed, chamomile and Russian thistle, as well as those resistant to ALS-inhibitor, synthetic auxin and glyphosate herbicides. With two active ingredients and two effective modes of action, Talinor knocks down weeds the first time, and offers a wide application window, from the two-leaf to pre-boot stage of the crop.

Service and support for the Axial brands and Talinor are available. To provide direct access to local in-field support, including free resistance testing, find your rep at SyngentaUS.com/Rep-Finder.

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The right practices can help you get the most out of your herbicide application. We’re illustrating the “5 Rs” for weed control to help maximize herbicide efficacy.

An infographic showing details of the "5 Rs" of herbicides: the Right residual, the Right rate, the Right time, the Right nozzles, and the Right droplet size. There is an image and a description of each explaining the impact on herbicide applications and getting the most out of herbicides.

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Know which early-season diseases to look for and create a careful scouting plan to confirm them and assist you in managing them long-term. Red crown rot (RCR) is becoming a more common early-season soybean disease that is tough to diagnose because it’s often mistaken for other diseases, like Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) or brown stem rot. Learning how to tell if you’re dealing with RCR will help you manage your crop and set you up to preserve your soybean yield.

Understanding Red Crown Rot

Caused by the soilborne fungus Calonectria ilicicola, RCR historically was a Southern disease threat, but it was first confirmed in Illinois in 2018. Since then, it has been found  in more counties in southern Illinois, western Kentucky, southern Indiana and a few counties in Missouri.

One of the most distinctive signs of an RCR infection is brick red fruiting structures at the base of the soybean plant; but unfortunately these reproductive structures are not always visible. RCR also causes yellow-speckled spots on leaves in the canopy. Because it’s a soilborne disease, farm machinery and tillage can move the disease from field to field if the machinery isn’t properly cleaned in between uses. The pathogen can easily move from an infected field to an uninfected field.

A comparison photo showing the main symptoms of Red Crown Rot. On the left is a close up of the red fruiting structures at the base of the plant; on the right is the yellow spotting of the canopy that infected plants see.

“Red crown rot devastates yield by destroying the root system until there’s just nothing left,” says Dale Ireland, Ph.D., Syngenta technical product lead. “RCR absolutely destroys the root system’s ability to uptake moisture and nutrients. There’s next to no yield in those early infected plants.”

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Red crown rot absolutely destroys the root system’s ability to uptake moisture and nutrients. There’s next to no yield in early infected plants.

Dale Ireland Technical Product Lead at Syngenta

The symptoms of RCR often resemble those of SDS, which is caused by a different pathogen – Fusarium virguliforme. “We believe that RCR may be more widespread than what people realize, since its presentation of yellow-speckled spots on the leaves are currently primarily associated with SDS,” says Ireland.

Another similarity between SDS and RCR is that soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) can exacerbate infections from both diseases. SCN also destroys the crop’s root system, opening the root system and creating more opportunity for either RCR or SDS to infect the roots.

If you suspect RCR, collect a sample and send to your local state Land Grant University diagnostic lab for analysis/confirmation. Don’t play plant pathologist — trust the experts at your local university.

Preserving Soybean Yield

No rescue treatments for RCR exist, but prevention and containment can help. If you suspect RCR, clean equipment thoroughly between fields or work areas with known infections last to prevent spreading the pathogen. Red crown rot thrives in temperatures between 77-86 degrees Fahrenheit so planting earlier can help prevent early infections. Another option is rotating to a non-host crop like corn and/or wheat for two years to break the RCR cycle.

One of the most effective ways to combat an RCR infection is using a seed treatment like Saltro® fungicide seed treatment, powered by ADEPIDYN® technology. Saltro has a 2(ee) label for the suppression of RCR in seven states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee.

“Saltro has direct activity against Calonectria. It’ll effectively reduce the growth of Calonectria on the developing soybean root so the plant can potentially yield more,” says Ireland.

Syngenta supports a FIFRA Section 2(ee) recommendation for Saltro for suppression of Red Crown Rot in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. Please see the Section 2(ee) recommendation to confirm that the recommendation is applicable in your state. The Section 2(ee) recommendation for Saltro should be in the possession of the user at the time of application.

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Ben Price, AFM, Farmers National Company, is the 2024 Professional Farm Manager of the Year after standing out as an innovative and dedicated leader in the farm management profession. As Clayton Becker, president of Farmers National Company, noted, “There is just no one more committed to providing the value and solutions our landowners know and expect.”

Price developed a passion for agriculture while growing up on his family’s sixth-generation farm – one of the oldest in Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business from Iowa State University, equipping him with a solid foundation in business, economics and agricultural sciences. Price joined Farmers National Company in 2008 where, through the help of great mentors, he has continued to expand his deep knowledge of farm management.

“I pair my clients with available resources to improve their farms and protect it for future generations,” Price says. “I care about them and their farm.”

Price understands first-hand that every farm represents a legacy. Through hard work and skill, he earns the trust of his clients and helps them protect their farms for future generations.

Watch the video below to learn about Ben’s award-winning success story.

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Reducing soybean stress is one of the steps you can take to help maximize potential yield. This strategy protects the seedlings during their most vulnerable stage, which helps to improve the early season health and yield potential of your soybean crop.

How Does Stress Impact Soybeans?

There are two basic types of soybean stress: biotic and abiotic. Biotic stress is a biological type of stress, like a plant pathogen or insect pest. Abiotic stress is triggered by the environment, including cold, hot, wet and dry conditions. Both biotic and abiotic stressors reduce the growth rate of the soybeans, which in turn reduces yield potential.

“Ideally you don’t want any stress during the early vegetative growth stage since the soybeans have about as much biomass growing above ground as they do below ground,” says Dale Ireland, Ph.D., Syngenta technical product lead. “Any time early growth is slowed down, it also slows the root development rate. During early shoot and root development, slowing the root development rate nearly always leads to lost root size potential that won’t be regained in reproductive growth stages. During hot and dry weather during mid growing season, plants with less rooting will shed more flowers which leads to fewer pods and lower yields.”

Today’s elite commercial soybean lines are known to naturally abort up to 80% of the flowers they produce. Biotic and abiotic stressors influence this flower shed, largely. However, the more equipped that plant is to handle any stressors it may encounter, the more likely it is to retain more of those flowers and produce a higher potential yield.

Why is Plant Health Important for Yield?

Plant health refers to the overall health and vitality of the crop including how well the plant grows and how much yield it produces. “Be sure your neighboring plants are as uniform to each other as possible up and down the row. This is ideal for maximizing your variety’s genetic yield potential,” Ireland says. “With a uniform leaf canopy, your soybeans are able to optimize light capture and access more nutrients and water, which increases stress tolerance.”

How to Protect Your Soybeans from Stressors

From the moment your soybean seeds are planted, they are exposed to a variety of biotic and abiotic stressors. Crop protection measures, such as a broad-spectrum seed treatment and foliar fungicide application, are key to keeping soybeans safe and protected. When your soybeans are protected from stressors with a seed treatment, you are setting them up for a successful growing season by giving them the best chance for healthy development.

Ireland recommends Saltro® fungicide seed treatment to keep your soybeans healthy. “Saltro gives you increased confidence that when you put that seed in the ground, no matter what Mother Nature has in store for you, you’re going to get as healthy and uniform of a stand emerging as you can,” he says.

Saltro provides protection from Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), robust soybean cyst nematode protection and red crown rot suppression. In addition to the powerful protection, Saltro also enhances plant health and crop stress recovery due to MagniSafe™ technology, “One of the strongest aspects of MagniSafe technology is that it decreases plant stress recovery time. In other words, plants recover from stress predictably more quickly,” explains Ireland.

Even in the absence of known pest pressure, Saltro delivers benefits like increased root and shoot mass, which adds up to healthier and stronger plants, and higher yield potential.

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Seed treatments paired with properly timed herbicide and fungicide applications should be high priorities for managing your winter wheat crop, according to T.J. Binns, Syngenta agronomic service representative in west central Kansas. Consistency is the key for a successful season, which pays off for those who don’t drastically change their plans based on early-season weather.

“In ’23 – ‘24, the winter was extremely dry, so a lot of people gave up on the crop,” Binns says, noting that some growers didn’t put down any herbicide or fertilizer, believing it was futile because the crop was going to fail. But, as grain fill came in, rain and cool temperatures did, too.

“Then the problem these growers faced is that they had thin wheat and no herbicide,” he says. “We ended up with some weedy messes out there; they were doing a preharvest treatment to get the weeds burned down below the head so they could harvest.”

The lack of winter herbicide also topped-up the weed seed bank, a liability for growers who plant their wheat stubble back to corn and milo in the spring.

Be Nimble Without Dropping Your Weed Control

In the southern U.S. wheat belt, weather is a big variable. Likely scenarios should be included in growers’ crop plans, Binns says.

“When making a plan around weather, I suggest growers make a best-case, likely-case and worst-case scenario — for example, if it rains a lot, rains an average amount, or doesn’t rain at all — then think through how they can adapt and still be successful,” Binns says. Through every scenario, weed control is a must, he notes.

“Even if it doesn’t rain, weed control is important for this season and for all following crops,” he says. “Think through it and make the application at the correct time, instead of being reactive to weather.”

Axial® Star herbicide controls both annual grass and broadleaf weeds in spring wheat, winter wheat and barley, and provides rotational flexibility the following season. Axial Bold herbicide delivers improved consistency and broad-spectrum control of top grass weeds including wild oat, yellow foxtail, Italian ryegrass, green foxtail and barnyard grass.

Don’t Let Excessive Moisture Rot Your Wheat

Healthy roots are the key to fighting insect and disease pressure in the soil and producing more foliage above ground. However, moisture and temperature make the roots vulnerable to rot just as they’re getting established. Protection against fungal diseases should be top of mind, which is why CruiserMaxx® Vibrance® Cereals seed treatment is available for protection from early-season pests, including Fusarium rot.

“That’s what the seed treatments are there for — to prevent those diseases from infecting the plant early on,” Binns says.

Once the plants are up, stripe rust and Fusarium head blight (FHB) are a fungal-disease duo that requires targeted fungicides and two different application timings within roughly ten days. Stripe rust comes first, blown in from warmer climates, producing spores that embed in the plant’s leaves and inhibit photosynthesis. Spraying for rust at flag leaf is the goal.

“If you lose your flag leaf, you’re losing a lot of your photosynthetic ability to fill the head,” Binns says. For stripe rust, he recommends Trivapro® fungicide for its preventive and curative protection and long-lasting residual control.

FHB is the most economically devastating wheat disease in the U.S. and Canada according to the Crop Protection Network, in part because the inoculum is already present in field residue.

“Fusarium head blight infects the crop later, while the wheat is blooming,” Binns says, noting that free moisture, whether rain or heavy dew, is what introduces the fungus to the grain head. “That’s why a preventive application is really important, because if you wait until you see it, you’re already infected and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Miravis® Ace fungicide is Binns’ choice against FHB thanks to its active ingredient ADEPIDYN® technology. Miravis Ace offers long-lasting disease control to protect even the tillers that haven’t flowered yet, and it delivers plant-health benefits that support improved grain quality and increased potential yield long after spraying.

In addition to a tricky climate and significant disease pressure, growers in many western states are contending with kochia, a persistent and increasingly resistant weed. Binns says Talinor® herbicide is a good postemergence option later in the season. Talinor is also an ideal mix partner with Axial brand herbicides for one-pass grass and broadleaf weed control and can be applied from the crop’s two-leaf to pre-boot stage.

Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

Overall, Binns advises wheat growers to make a plan and stick to it, even if conditions aren’t optimal. And if conditions become extreme, review the scenarios in your plan.

“Last year, the growers who treated their crop like they normally would did very, very well with yield,” he says. “The most important thing is to not panic. Proper planning and assorted crop protection products will get you through.”

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Below-ground pests like seedcorn maggots usually strike early in the season. By the time they’re detected, it’s often too late to salvage your pulse crops. However, with effective prevention strategies, you can protect your fields from planting through emergence, ensuring a healthy start.

How Seedcorn Maggots Impact Pulse Crops

Seedcorn maggots are the larvae of adult flies that resemble common houseflies with dark gray bodies, black legs and transparent wings. In late April, adult flies lay their eggs in the soil where they hatch into small, pale maggots about 1/4 inch long within 2 to 4 days. The maggots’ lifecycle lasts 2 to 3 weeks.

These maggots move easily in cool, wet conditions, feeding on developing seed and seedlings. This can lead to stunted plant development and impact pulse crop yield potential. Adult flies prefer fields with decaying vegetation or high organic matter, making untilled fields more vulnerable to infestation. Fields with a history of infestations are more susceptible to future damage from seedcorn maggots.

A close-up photo of wireworms against a dark background.
Seedcorn maggots are pale larvae that reach about 1/4 inch in length.

Seedcorn maggots harm young pulse crops by feeding on the seed germ and burrowing into seeds, eating the inside and leaving behind empty shells. They also feed on the stems of the seedlings, weakening and wilting the plants — sometimes leading to plant death.

This damage creates bare spots in the field, prevents seed germination and reduces plant emergence. No rescue treatments are available, so it’s too late to save affected crops once seedcorn maggots are established.

How to Prevent Seedcorn Maggots

Check for seedcorn maggots when preparing to plant your pulse crops. As you scout, look for eggs in the soil. Seedcorn maggot eggs appear as small, brown cylinders resembling tiny footballs. Early detection can help prevent an infestation before it affects your crop.

To avoid a seedcorn maggot infestation, consider delaying planting until the soil dries out and warms up. These pests thrive in cool, moist conditions, so warmer, drier soil conditions are less favorable for maggot development. Additionally, planting treated seeds can suppress these pests and be an effective preventive measure.

Coming Soon: A New Option to Suppress Seedcorn Maggots

A new seed treatment featuring the active ingredient isocycloseram is coming soon for use on cereal and pulse crops. This seed treatment will help suppress seedcorn maggots and other belowground pests and will be lethal to wireworms, helping protect crops from early-season damage. Isocycloseram will belong to Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Group 30, which will act through contact and ingestion and has no known cross resistance to other insecticides.

Be the first to learn more about isocycloseram.

PLINAZOLIN is not yet registered for sale or use in the U.S. and is not being offered for sale.

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Cereal pest management plans can make or break plant stands and emergence, especially if wireworms are present in the soil. Wireworms are known to cause up to 100% yield loss, making them one of the most damaging pests in cereal crops in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains regions.

To successfully manage wireworms, it’s important to understand the species, how they damage crops and how to prevent infestations.

What Are Wireworms and Why Are They a Problem?

Wireworms are copper-colored, hard-bodied larvae with three pairs of legs near their heads. As they mature, they grow into click beetles, which are typically black or dark brown with unusually long bodies. Click beetles get their name from the distinctive sound they produce when flipped onto their backs.

A comparison photo shows a close look at wireworm larvae and adult click beetles.

Wireworms overwinter and begin feeding on seedlings early in the spring when the ground is wet and cool (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit). This is especially common in regions like the Pacific Northwest, where wireworms can start damaging young plants during emergence and stand establishment.

A map of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains shows where each species of wireworms can be found, including bicolor click beetles, prairie grain wireworms, sugarbeet wireworms, and western field wireworms. It includes details about timing of emergence and risk to yield.
Wireworm species can be found across the PNW and Northern Plains.

In the Northern Plains, wireworms feed on cereal crops through June and July when soil temperatures reach 75-80 degrees F. Depending on the species and environmental conditions, wireworms can persist in the soil for as long as 2 to 10 years to complete their lifecycle.

A graphic shows the life cycle of wireworms from the egg-laying stage to new adults alongside the life cycle of cereal crops.
Understand the life cycle of wireworms to make educated decisions about when to plant to prevent infestations.

Wireworm Damage In Action

Wireworms move up through the soil profile because they are attracted to carbon dioxide (CO2) released by developing seeds and seedlings. Once the wireworms move into the developing crop, they feed linearly, moving from plant to plant to spread damage across the field.

Some indications that your crop has wireworm damage are bare or tan-brown patches where wireworm feeding has interrupted normal crop establishment. Emerged crops often have stunted, wilted stands and be at higher risk for disease infection.1

Wireworm populations can increase rapidly if left uncontrolled, potentially exceeding one million per acre resulting in significant crop damage.

A few factors that increase the potential for wireworm damage include:

  • Poorly managed field margins can provide ideal conditions for click beetles.
  • Not knowing wireworms are present can lead to unexpected losses.
  • Not rotating between crops can increase wireworm pressure in dryland cereals.

Preventing Wireworm Damage

Practicing crop rotation and scouting your fields can help set your cereal crops up for a strong start.

Planting treated seed is another method for managing wireworms. Seed treatments can protect developing seedlings so they can emerge evenly and have strong stands.

When to Use a Seed Treatment for Wireworms

You can determine the risk of economic damage to your crop by scouting for wireworms prior to planting. Start in fields with a history of excessive weed pressure, bare patches, or low grain yields. The shovel or modified bait trap methods are two options to scout wireworms.

Bait trap results can help inform your seed treatment decisions using the chart below.

A chart outlines the economic risk and recommended wireworm treatment option based on the average number of wireworms per bait trap.
Whether to use a seed treatment is dependent on the risk of economic damage according to number of wireworms per bait trap.

A new wireworm management solution is coming soon to cereal and pulse crops and will feature the active ingredient isocycloseram. Isocycloseram will be an Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Group 30 active ingredient that, upon registration, will act by contact and ingestion and has no known cross resistance to other insecticides.

Be the first to learn more about this upcoming product.

PLINAZOLIN is not yet registered for sale or use in the U.S. and is not being offered for sale.

1 Foliar symptoms of wireworm damage can appear similar to other early-season pests and diseases and should be confirmed by soil sampling.

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Sam Santini has quite a reputation. ‘The Corn King’, as he’s known locally, has been pushing yield limits on his family farm and sitting comfortably at the top of his state’s National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) leaderboard for 30 years. When you picture the view from Santini’s throne, you likely imagine rolling Midwest cornfields, but the truth is that he finds success in an unexpected setting — Franklin Township, New Jersey.

You read that right. The Santini family grows 2,000 acres of high-yielding corn, soybeans and sorghum in fields nestled throughout the hustle and bustle of northwestern New Jersey. Santini loves to shock his Midwest peers with contest results and strategies grown in the Garden State.

“Farmers all over the United States know me and always ask, ‘How do you grow corn in New Jersey like you do?’ because they don’t know about agriculture in our part of the country. I tell them, ‘Come on out and see.’ I love to talk about NJ ag,” Santini says. “It’s not all cement, concrete and pavement out here. A lot of people don’t realize we grow some pretty good crop yields.”

That’s an understatement considering his record. Santini has won the New Jersey state Conventional Non-Irrigated category of the NCYC, hosted by the National Corn Growers Association, for 30 years and he’s not slowing down. The 2024 season saw him reach one more milestone in his ascent by winning the same category on the national level with 383.43 bu/A.

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Farmers all over the United States know me and always ask, ‘How do you grow corn in New Jersey like you do?’ because they don’t know about agriculture in our part of the country. I tell them, ‘Come on out and see.’ I love to talk about NJ ag.

Sam Santini Grower and National Corn Yield Contest Winner

The hard work and years spent refining his strategies have paid off for the Corn King and he has practical tips to share. Whether you have contest aspirations or are busheling through a down market, Santini knows that higher yields are possible with the right tactics.

Start With Soil

An early start and a lifetime of putting soil first has contributed to Santini’s success. “I’m a third-generation farmer. I’ve been farming since I was 10 years old. It takes time to make high yields. My goal the whole time was to make the soil better,” he says.

Santini doesn’t take any shortcuts to accomplish this goal. He regularly meets with a crop consultant to sample soil and discuss the data. A partnership with a trusted crop consultant can help growers make the best decisions that support short- and long-term goals. Staying informed and spotting issues early has two purposes: first, it preserves the land he knows and loves for the next generation; second, it sets the foundation for additional tactics that drive yields throughout the year.

“When you’re fortunate enough to grow on your own land, investing in it can pay off in the long run,” Santini says. In New Jersey and other states where farmland can be hard to come by, rented land can complicate things. It may not be possible to build soil health on land you might only grow on for a few seasons, especially if it wasn’t a priority for the previous steward.

“I take samples and get recommendations. We keep on top of soil health to keep high yields. But in some fields with rented ground, it’s harder to maintain to our standard in the limited time we might have it,” Santini says. “We can really take care of our own ground the way it’s supposed to be taken care of and the long-term changes make a difference in the end.”

Though healthy soil sets the foundation for higher yields, it’s only one variable. Santini believes the New Jersey climate works in his favor. “We are lucky here. The temperatures change with the season, and we have the right temperatures to produce a really good crop.”

Control the Controllable

There are plenty of variables growers can’t control, but you can, however, focus your efforts on the factors within your control.

Santini has decades of experimenting with tactics to help control weeds and diseases. “There are two places where I’ll never cut corners and that’s using herbicides and fungicides,” he says. “I use Acuron corn herbicide on all my corn,” Santini says. “It’s been working great for me every year I’ve used it.”

The unique combination of active ingredients in Acuron® herbicide, including bicyclopyrone, provides powerful weed control, long-lasting residual and crop safety. When every kernel counts, it makes a difference — that’s why Santini counts on it year after year.

Not only does effective weed control keep weeds from stealing yields, but it can also set the stage for premium fungicides to help increase yields. He plans to be ready with his fungicide of choice, Miravis® Neo, well before diseases show up in the field.

“To get extra bushels, pay attention to your planning, timing and choice of fungicides,” Santini says.

Trials show fungicides like Miravis Neo deliver yield bumps regardless of weather and disease severity, thanks to the plant-health benefits of exclusive active ingredients like ADEPIDYN® technology. Santini is confident in the value of premium products and his contest results show what’s possible when healthy soil and mild climate meet the right crop inputs.

What’s Next for the Corn King?

Santini plans to continue competing for the same reasons he started in 1976: to push his farm’s yield limits and enjoy the process.

“It’s great. I love to see competition and I welcome anybody to try because it’s possible,” Santini says. “I went to my first award conference in 1981 and met a lot of people from all over the United States. I’ve talked to other farmers, exchanged notes and learned a lot since then.”

His competitive spirit continues to drive him toward his next goal: 400 bushels per acre. “I’m not there yet, but I was really close this year,” Santini says. “My corn was definitely the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve got more to do yet.”

And where does he plan on accomplishing his next goal? Right at home in New Jersey, of course.

“Would I ever want to farm anyplace else? No. I love it in New Jersey.”