03 March2025, Iowa: Farmers never know what a season may bring, but a good team helps navigate challenges and celebrate successes.
Kenny Rathjen and Monte Simerly of K&M Farms in Dalhart, Texas, did both last season when the pair took home the Bin Buster award in the 2024 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest. Verified by the National Sorghum Producers, they won first place with a Pioneer® brand hybrid yielding 240.01 bu/A. With the help of their agronomist and Pioneer brand seeds, the team made important decisions that acted as catalysts for success.
K&M Farms started the 2024 season by planting a 50-acre field of Pioneer brand 85P75 under pivot irrigation. When weeds began to show up early in the season, their agronomist suggested they try a different herbicide application. Rathjen said that collaborative decision-making helped take their field of Pioneer brand sorghum to the next level.
“June was starting to get a little weedy,” Rathjen said. “After visiting with my agronomist, we decided to spray it, which created a lot more tillers. That really helped the yield in this particular circle.”
Rathjen and his team continued to make sound management decisions – including fertilizer and fungicide applications – throughout the season. Rathjen said trust in his support team helps him keep an open mind and try different things to maximize yield potential with Pioneer brand hybrids.
“I have good people around me,” Rathjen said. “I call them, and they’ll meet me at the field. If we have a problem or question, they answer it. We have some biologicals and other things in mind to try next season to see if we can do a little better. I’m looking forward to next year.”
As for the upcoming planting season, Rathjen said the goal is to take home the world record title for sorghum yield. The team at K&M Farms has already begun planning their strategy to push for even higher yields as they plant 100% of their operation with Pioneer brand seeds.
Pioneer sorghum breeders continue to deliver boundary-pushing advancements to help farmers like Rathjen and Simerly attain their goals. Pioneer brand sorghum products are proven to perform and provide high yield potential with proprietary genetics. Sorghum growers also get superior agronomics and defensive traits to help them protect yields and achieve more on-farm victories.
“Our goal at Pioneer is to provide farmers access to hybrids that drive productivity and profit potential,” said Courtney Fara, Pioneer Portfolio Lead for Complementary Crops. “We are continuing to invest in sorghum R&D to provide farmers with even better hybrids to take their sorghum acres to the next level. We’re excited to see what the future holds for farmers who plant Pioneer brand sorghum products. Congratulations again to K&M Farms for their success in 2024.”
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