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Husband-wife Duo Get Ahead of the Game

October 14, 2016

Madrid, IA: It’s been an efficient harvest for Larry and Franki Williams. In-between attending their grandchildren’s many sporting events, the husband-and-wife team has already harvested 80-85% of their fields, and they plan to take advantage of every sunny day ahead to get the remaining crops out of the ground.

It helped that it was a relatively smooth growing season. Although they experienced soybean cyst nematode (SCN) pressure, the Williams’ fields received an ideal amount of rainfall this year and overall saw relatively low pest pressure. The results – Golden Harvest® Corn hybrids averaging more than 200 bu/A and NK® Soybean varieties averaging more than 60 bu/A – have left them thrilled.

The Williamses grew Golden Harvest hybrids G06N80-3111, G07F23-3111, G09E98-3122 E-Z Refuge and G14R38-3000GT brands this year.  “All of our hybrids have been in that ballpark this year,” Franki Williams said. “They have good stalk strength and have all, for the most part, had uniform yields.”

From a soybean perspective, the Williamses planted NK Soybean S22-S1 and S26-P3 brands and saw better yields this year than last. They credit that in part to using Clariva® Complete Beans seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products, which offers season-long protection against SCN. “I used Clariva Complete Beans seed treatment on all of my soybeans this year, and they had great standability throughout the season,” Larry Williams said. “I am a big believer in rotating fields, planting resistant varieties and using seed treatments to fight SCN and sudden death syndrome.”

Approaching retirement, the Williamses feel confident in their seed choices and in being ready to hand over the duties to the next generation in the near future. Not that every season will always be quite this straightforward.

“Mother Nature can deal you any cards she wants,” Larry Williams said.

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Larry (pictured) and Franki Williams are already close to wrapping up their 2016 harvest after a solid growing season. Preparation was key. “We always do our best to prep for a season where the cards aren’t in our favor,” Larry Williams said.

10-14_madrid-ia_gh-corn-nk-soy-2-resized

While combining Golden Harvest hybrid G06N80-3111 brand, Franki Williams noted that the yield monitor reached as much as 15 bu/A above the region’s typical average. “We’ve been amazed by the corn this year,” she said.

All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.

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