Changes in seeds help crops
Staff writer
Big changes in soybean and corn genetics in the past 20 years have made it easier to produce successful crops.
Specific traits implanted in seed make it possible for Roundup herbicide to be sprayed directly on crops for weed control.
This seed is called “Roundup ready.”
Jeff Youk, seed salesman for Cooperative Grain and Supply, said the biggest change he has seen in 30 years has been a switch from milo to corn or soybeans. Corn seed sales have increased the most.
“Nobody plants milo around here anymore,” he said. “We have milo seed, but we brought in a fraction of what we normally do.”
He expects an early wheat harvest if weather turns warm and dry, which will mean a big double-crop run and a big demand for seed.
“There’s plenty of subsoil moisture, and farmers will try to make up for the low wheat price by planting another crop after harvest,” he said.
If it remains wet and farmers have to mess up fields to get the wheat out, that could cause some planting problems, he said.