When making the best decisions for your farm (including which seeds to plant), many factors come into play. You’ll need to leverage all of them—including field characteristics, yield goals, nutrient management, and other agronomic components—to give yourself the best chance at meeting your yield goals.

But it can be challenging to take all this into account, especially when deciding your seed order for the next planting season.

If you’re in the midst of that decision-making process, here are the essential steps for building your seed order:

1. Determine which fields need to be planted.

   1. What tillage practices are in place?
   2. What soil types do you have?
   3. Weather permitting, what field will you start with?
   4. What maturity range do you need for each field?

4. Determine which traits you need.

   1. What level of disease tolerance do you need in a hybrid?
   2. What type of agronomic rating does a hybrid need to have?
   3. What sort of soil adaptability is important?

5. Determine which seed treatments you need.

   1. Do you need extra fungicide and insecticide protection?
   2. What type of weeds, insects, and diseases have been present that would require crop protection?

6. Decide which AgriGold products you will plant based on the traits you need.

7. Place your seed order and get ready for plant 2023.

What fields will be planted?

The most important factor in your seed buying decision? Field placement. Whether you’re planting the same fields you’ve always planted, or adding new acres to the lineup, it’s important to know where and when you’ll need to start in the spring. Determine tillage practices for each field, and which field you plan to start on, weather permitting. This will help you determine what hybrids each acre needs, what seed treatments are necessary, and any revisions you need to make to your management plan.

What traits will you need? 

Starting in the combine seat this fall, begin gathering harvest data and consider what products you want to plant in 2023. Take into account plant health, standability, yield, and any other crop characteristics that fit your goals. Be sure to consider challenges you had this season such as weather, weed and pest management, and field health. Use your experience with those challenges to choose AgriGold hybrids that work best on all your acres for the next planting season.

What seed treatments are necessary?

Now that you’ve decided what fields you’ll be planting and what traits each field will need to meet your annual goals, you need to decide which seed treatments are necessary to ensure crop health. If you had a year with above average insect or disease pressure, consider opting for a seed treatment that will protect your crop from soil-borne disease and pests. Work with your AgriGold agronomist to learn about corn and soybean input traits.

Making your final decisions

Once you’ve set your goals for the year, analyzed the traits you need to meet your goals, and met with your AgriGold agronomist to determine the seed you need, it’s time to place your order and get ready for plant 2023.

For more information about AgriGold products, reach out to your local AgriGold agronomy expert and ask about the 2023 seed guide.