Ag students learn lessons during test plot visit

A fresh crop of introduction to ag students from Summerland School were all ears, Friday afternoon, as they visited the corn hybrid test plot, planted in April, north of the school.

Six companies planted 24 seed varieties, April 22, on land owned and farmed by Bob Napier.

Todd Weber, from Pioneer Seed Company, along with Aaron Hoke and Austin Twibell, representing H & T Seed & Technology, in Orchard, gave students an overview of crops planted.

"There's a lot of things farmers like Bob have to contend with," Weber said. He introduced concepts about comparative relative maturity, growing degree units, drought intolerance and stress emergence.

Once in the field, students inspected stalks and kernels for signs of pests and learned how pesticides and herbicides affect the plant.

Napier and Weber compared two ears of corn, comparing simple-sugar production, which is converted to starch, causing dents.

"This is called dent corn for a reason. When hybrids start getting more mature, the simple sugars turn into complicated starch and turns into dent stage," Weber said.

Eventually, students will calculate yields and be involved with harvesting the plot.

On Sept. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m., ag students and FFA members will host a field day. Community members will be invited to view the plot and see agriculture education at work.

Seed company representatives from Pioneer, Channel, Brevant, Golden Harvest, DeKalb and NC+ are expected to be on site, also.

"People will come to these plot tours and compare (hybrids)," Napier said.

Weber said a plot tour gives farmers an opportunity to see new products.

"In the seed business, you better be better than you were last year. It's a pretty competitive game. Ultimately, it's about grain. How much we harvest and put in the bin, but it's all these agronomics' traits."