You deserve options when it comes to shopping for corn and soybeans. Many of the brands out there on the market have different names, but most fall under the umbrella of a larger company — think Bayer and Corteva.
But you still have options. Some varieties might work better on your farm than others, so it’s important to do the research before you pick something for next year.
American Agriculturist asked top seed companies for their “Top 5” corn and soybean varieties for 2021. These are varieties geared to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic farmers.
Below is a list of companies that have responded to our request for top hybrids. The list will be updated as more companies reveal their top choices.
For readability, "RIB stands for “refuge in bag” and RM stands for “relative maturity.”
If you have any questions on a variety, contact your local seed dealer or email American Agriculturist at [email protected].
Augusta (corn)
A3053 (103RM). A new hybrid in the Augusta Seed lineup, this does well across soil types but really excels in fields with top-end yield potential. This hybrid can withstand low or high plant population environments. It is a healthy plant and will have higher end test weight as well.
A4858 (108RM). This a flexible hybrid that can be planted across soil types, populations and environments. It tends to flower early and, therefore, avoids pollination during the hottest time of the year. High test weight and a semi-flex ear are hallmarks of A4858.
A4759 (109RM). Widely adaptable across environments, it is a very consistent hybrid that enjoys medium to high planting populations. This hybrid has strong roots and stalks and does well in corn-after-corn situations. Place A4759 on your farm and you will notice excellent early vigor and late-season stay green.
A1060 (110RM). This is a new hybrid for Augusta Seed. It puts on a girthy ear that often forms 18 to 20 rows around. Superior health is a hallmark of this hybrid. It is very stable under stress and it enjoys high populations up to 38,000 plants per acre.
A4463 (113RM). This hybrid has an outstanding agronomic package. It puts on a semi-flex ear with good test weight. It has a balanced ear style with good tip fill and husk coverage. It has good late-season health and intactness. It is an all-around good hybrid that will produce well across soil types.
King’s Agriseeds (corn)
MC 4050. This is a popular 90-day variety that is known for superb silage quality while offering high yield potential for a short day-length hybrid. It fits well into aggressively managed operations and has an upright leaf structure. This hybrid also performs well as an early hybrid in longer-season areas.
MC 5250. A top-selling 102-day silage hybrid that is favored among silage producers, MC 5250 is a white cob hybrid that has wide, showy leaves. Its outstanding health and agronomic package leave it green to the end of the season. It’s known for consistent yields and adaptation to varying soil-carrying capacities.
KF 54C10. This is a 104-day variety that’s broadly adapted and handles a wide range of soils, populations and environments on the East Coast. It flexes in both ear and stalk and has outstanding agronomics to stand behind it for solid silage yields.
KF 58C80. A quick canopy closer with strong stalks and roots with flexible ears, KF58C80 offers stress tolerance and a very good overall plant health package. It is a 108-day variety that has excellent emergence and seedling vigor.
KF 63C10. A high silage producer in terms of both quantity and quality, along with good ear length and excellent flex, deep kernels, highly rated disease package, and drought and heat tolerance. This versatile 113-day hybrid covers all soil types.
Mid-Atlantic (corn)
MA7002HD (100RM). The increased leaf area index requires decreased planting populations. An extremely long drydown allows for optimum harvest window. The floury endosperm in kernel creates a shattering effect when harvested, allowing for decreased fermentation window in silage. It’s available as conventional, organic and Roundup Ready.
MA8039 (103RM). A top-end early season grain hybrid with very good test weight. It has excellent emergence and early season plant vigor. It has an attractive in-season appearance with very good stress tolerance and strong agronomics with excellent movement across all yield environments. Available as VT2PRIB, SSRIB.
MA8128 (112RM). Dual-purpose hybrid with tremendous grain and silage yields. Excellent stress tolerance, especially to heat and drought stress. Excellent stay-green and late-season plant intactness. It should be placed in moderate to high yield environments. It’s available as Conventional, VT2PRIB, SSRIB.
MA8141 (114RM). A dual-purpose variety for increased flexibility, it very high yielding with high test weight for increased profits. It provides excellent yields in productive to moderate environments with very good stalks and roots to increase harvest window. Available as conventional, DGVT2PRIB or SSRIB.
MA5155 (115RM). An attractive medium-tall hybrid with flex ears and excellent test weight. It has excellent grain yields with excellent plant health for tough acres. It yields best under moderate to high planting populations and high fertility. Available as GT3VIP.
Hubner (corn)
H4890RC2P (117RM). An attractive product with a solid disease tolerance package including very good tolerance to Northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot.
H6763RCSS/H4763RC2P (115RM). Excellent yield potential and consistency with this dual-purpose product. Strong agronomics pushes performance of this variety.
09G056 (109RM). Great yield potential in this DroughtGard product. It has good ear flex and excellent ear girth.
H6301RCSS (107RM). Strong emergence and vigor early season with outstanding test weight at harvest. Excellent drought tolerance and harvest intactness.
H6134RCSS (96RM). Very good agronomic package with good emergence and seedling vigor. It has also very good grain quality and test weight.