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Fontanelle, Nebraska
October 1, 2002
Fontanelle Hybrids new product
line up for 2002-2003 includes 15 corn hybrids, 10
soybean varieties, one sunflower, one grain
sorghum and one alfalfa. "I think we are unique in
the amount of input from our customers and sales force we use in
helping us determine our most important product needs," Dave
Monke, production manager said. "We always have a specific need
before we add a new product. We don’t add new just because it’s
new. By using a series of round table meetings and other forms
of customer feedback, when we release a product, there is
already a well-defined market for that product."
New Products in the Line Up
Technology hybrids make up 70 percent of the new corn
releases, including four High Cycle brand Bt hybrids, six High
Cycle brand Roundup Ready® hybrids and two High Cycle
brand RR/Bt stacked hybrid. There are also three new
conventional hybrids.
"This high percentage of technology products shows a
continuing acceptance by our customers and the public," Monke
said. "The value of these products to both our customers and to
the environment continues to be realized and appreciated."
All ten of the new soybean releases are Roundup Ready
varieties. "Our soybean sales are 93% Roundup Ready," Doug
Dudney, soybean product manager said. "We will continue to look
for new Roundup Ready products because that’s what our customers
push for."
The new sunflower represents a new line of seed for
Fontanelle Hybrids. "902 NS is an exclusive NuSun™ Mid Oleic
Hybrid," Doug Heatwole, regional agronomist said. "It’s a
proprietary hybrid from Fontanelle, which give customers an
opportunity for genetic diversity on their farms."
" In grain sorghum, we have
renewed our efforts to find new hybrids to strengthen our
sorghum line up. With G-3245 we’ve done that," Heatwole said.
"Our customers were telling us there was a need for an early
sorghum, and G-3245 meets that need."
"In alfalfa, we’ve added Cisco which has a fall dormancy
rating of 6," Heatwole said. "This is our first alfalfa with
that high of a dormancy rating which means it will work better
as we head south."
Regional Placement
Among the 11 new corn hybrids introduced this year, there’s
four that stand out. For the northern part of Fontanelle Hybrids
territory, 4283 is a 102-day relative maturity (RM) hybrid that
shows consistent performance across all environments. It’s a
good choice for no-till farming. For the southern part of
Fontanelle territory, High Cycle 7966 Bt is a 117-day RM hybrid
with excellent top end yield potential. For the West, High Cycle
7893RR, at 113-day RM, is the one to watch for excellent top end
yields. And in the East, High Cycle 7888 Bt is also a 113-day RM
hybrid that is very versatile in response to soil types and
yield levels.
The other new corn hybrids include: 5333, 113-day RM; 4693,
106-day RM, HC 7984 RR, 118-day RM; HC 7834 RR, 114-day RM; HC
7797, 110-day RM; HC 7591 104-day RM; HC 7885 RR/Bt, 115-day RM;
HC 7235 RR/Bt, 98-day RM; HC 7987, 119-day RM; HC 7637 Bt,
107-day RM; and HC 7511 Bt, 102-day RM.
The leaders among the 10 new soybean varieties include; 8111
RR in the early group maturity, 8192 N RR in the mid group, and
9192 N RR in the full season group. 8111 RR is an early Group II
soybean with top yields and great disease ratings. 8192 N RR is
a late Group II soybean that yields well with or without cyst
pressure. It has a high level of cyst resistance. 9192 N RR is a
late Group III soybean that also has cyst resistance and has
excellent emergence and lodging scores.
The other new soybean varieties include: 421 N RR, an early
Group IV; 9162 N RR, a late Group III; 9241 RR, a mid Group III;
8184 RR, a late Group II; 8182 RR, a late Group II; 8153 RR, a
mid Group II; 7292 RR, a late Group I; and 7291 N RR, a late
Group I.
The new Fontanelle sunflower, 902 NS, is in the mid maturity
range from 88 to 92 days. It works well in central and western
Kansas and eastern Colorado for dryland full season or as a
second crop in irrigated fields. "Since this is a new product we
are continuing our placement tests," Heatwole said. "We are
looking at how it works in Nebraska."
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The new grain sorghum G-3245 works in areas with moisture
stress and high temperatures. "We were looking for a sorghum
that would work in adverse conditions," Heatwole said. "G-3245
does. It’s not a racehorse hybrid." It also works well as a
second crop behind wheat or small grains.
Cisco alfalfa is suited for producers in southern Kansas, as
well as the Panhandle areas of Oklahoma and Texas. "Southern
producers are looking for higher fall dormancy ratings,"
Heatwole said. "Cisco has a rating of 6 which means it greens up
fast in the spring and doesn’t go dormant until late in the
season. This gives producers the potential for additional fall
cuttings."
Supply
" Fontanelle Hybrids is
fairly conservative on supply of new products," Dave Monke,
production manager said. "That’s by design. We usually
underestimate the needs and acceptance of our new introductions.
We don’t want to skip any steps with new products so we continue
to test them in every environment possible to identify any
potential weaknesses. Our customers can’t afford a
hybrid/environment interaction that could cost them profits so
we continue to gather information about the new products to
ensure we know the best placement for each variety. We are
committed to do what we think is best."
On a bright note, Doug Dudney, soybean product manager said,
"Our soybean supply will be better than anticipated. Supply
should not be an issue this year."
Doug Heatwole, regional agronomist said there will be an
adequate supply for the new sunflower, sorghum and alfalfa
products introduced this year.
Fontanelle Hybrids is a
67 year old employee-owned seed company marketing corn,
soybeans, grain sorghum, alfalfa and sunflowers in Nebraska,
Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri and portions of Illinois,
Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas. Fontanelle Hybrids is one of
the five owners and members of the Core Group that markets value
added products under the High Cycle® Seed Systems
brand of products.
High Cycle is a registered trademark of the CORE Group.
Roundup Ready is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.
NuSun is a trademark of the National Sunflower Association.
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