b'activities, White says.Just like commercial growers who were still harvesting corn in late November, we were finally happy to have the harvest in the shed and put this challenging growing season behind us.More so in 2019 than in the previous three years, Syngenta seed production occurred primarily west of the Mississippi River, he says. We were able to plant early there and harvest in a timely manner. The challenges of seed production in Illinois, southern Michigan and northern Indiana really impacted the seed industry. But the industry, just like Syngenta, was able to spread production around to ensure reliability of supply.Producing seed was challenging in 2019, says Carl Peterson of Peterson Farm Seeds. We were able to hit our corn produc-tion targets of volume and quality by having the flexibility to move production to drier ground.Peterson says South Dakota was wetter than more northern areas. While not much corn is planted in North Dakota, Peterson SOURCE: SYNGENTAFarm Seeds was able to use seed corn acreages wherever they could be found.Syngenta reports that corn yields were diminished in 2019 by diseases that found wet conditions to be of their liking. TheCorn seed production difficulties increased due to the wet spring. company states Tar Spot became a bigger threat this season with increased severity and movement into new states such asWe get a little more forgiveness with soybeans with a longer Minnesota. planting window to try to get optimal yield, says White. We had Northern corn leaf blight caused damage to many fields.relatively good planting and growing conditions throughout the Syngenta says the pathogen that causes the disease overwintersMidwest. However, when we got to the fall harvest, this was the in soil and crop residue, and will likely reemerge next season.first time in my 23 years of experience that we had to work with Gray leaf spot was also a yield-robbing thief that has become30-inches of snow on soybeans in North Dakota.very common in parts of the Midwest.White says a very unique situation occurred in Syngentas According to Goggi, another problem faced by seed produc- northern seed production. ers in 2019 were the very hot and dry conditions during pollina- Surprisingly, after the snow melted, our seed growers were tion, which kills pollen and also reduces yield.able to harvest soybeans with quality that was better than This problem also can potentially increase the risk of out- expected, he says. We saw a little more brown stem rot this crossing because the male and female plants do not flower inyear but in general, yields were better than the conservative synchrony, Goggi says. estimates we had made in the spring.The relatively cool summer in corn country provided fewerTodd Steinacher, AgriGold Regional agronomist and agro-heat units or growing degree days (GDD) accumulated, slow- nomic coordinator for the Illinois Soybean Association, says ing plant development and maturation and reducing seed yield,soybean production faced the same challenges that other crop Goggi says. The cool summer was followed by a cool and wet fallfields faced in 2019. that delayed harvest and allowed more time for field pathogensIt was challenging to get the crop planted and hopefully to interact with the seed. maintain quality growing conditions, he says. Seed companies Goggi adds that an early frost was very detrimental to seedwere able to geographically space their production so some quality due to the high moisture content of the seed. areas were able to be planted. Seed companies do not, generally, An early snowstorm across the northern reaches of the Cornput all of their eggs in one basket.Belt disrupted the harvest, increasing the chances for damageSteinacher says soybean production fields were vulnerable to to seed. pests in 2019. Because of the heavy spring rains, weeds were a The poor planting, growing and harvesting conditions willmajor problem. He said sudden death syndrome was not as bad likely result in shortages of some cultivars, Goggi says. Usually,this year as it was in 2018. Other production challenges included seed companies try to minimize risk by producing the samefrogeye, white mold, stinkbugs and bean leaf beetles.cultivar in many different locations within the area of adaptation.Even though soybean planting was late, both soybeans and Hopefully, by spreading risk, the companies minimize the effectcorn were able to take advantage of 2019s long grain fill period.of inclement weather. In general, our soybean supplies are solid for 2020 planting, says White. There is always that one variety that we wished we Soybean Harvest Delayed had produced more of. Soybean producers are taking a stronger The theme of a wet spring carried over into soybean productionlook at the trait platforms that are available to them such as E3, in 2019.GTLL, or Liberty Link products. Seeing customers broaden their JANUARY 2020SEEDWORLD.COM /7'