As growers turn the page on harvest and look ahead to the next production year, early planning is top of mind when it comes to crop protection decisions. Visiting with Oklahoma Farm Report’s Maci Carter, Ron Geis of Corteva Agriscience stressed that the first 90 days after harvest are critical for setting a successful strategy. “Everything’s fresh in mind,” Geis said, explaining that farmers have just seen weed escapes, disease pressure, and problem spots across their fields. He added that this planning window also offers a financial advantage, noting, “You’re going to get your best prices on your inputs if you buy them in December and January,” making early decision-making key to both agronomic and economic success.
When it comes to evaluating whether a crop protection program worked, Geis said harvest-time observation is invaluable. “That’s where that sitting in that seat of the combine or in the grain cart next to it, you can see what escaped,” he explained. In southern growing regions, he highlighted winter annual weeds as a recurring challenge, noting these weeds germinate in the fall and return aggressively in spring. “If I put a contact herbicide on those weeds as they’re moving nutrients down into the root, they’re also taking herbicide down into the root,” Geis said, calling fall herbicide applications a major advantage in controlling tough weeds before spring planting.
Geis outlined Corteva’s approach to fall and spring weed control, pointing to products like Elevore for fall applications and strong residual programs in the spring. “The weeds don’t know that you planted earlier,” he said, explaining why residual herbicides must last longer as planting dates move up. In soybeans, he highlighted Kyber Pro, saying the combination of three active ingredients provides strong control on problem weeds like waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, delivering “six weeks, if not up to seven or eight weeks, of residual control.”
Turning to disease management, Geis discussed Corteva’s new fungicide, Forcibo, and its three modes of action. “Forcibo is new to us this year, and we have a great supply of it,” he said. He explained that the strobilurin provides preventative and plant health benefits, the triazole cures existing disease, and the SDHI extends residual control and improves rust performance. “When you’re in a heavy southern rust area, you best be looking at an SDHI year in and year out,” Geis added, calling Southern rust an aggressive and costly disease.
Nitrogen management was another major focus, with Geis using a simple magnet analogy to explain nitrogen loss. “Your soil has a negative charge… two negatives repel each other, so it’s unstable,” he said, describing how nitrogen leaches or denitrifies without protection. Corteva’s nitrogen stabilizers slow bacterial conversion, keeping nitrogen in a stable form. “The nice thing is, as corn starts to utilize nitrogen, it doesn’t care if it takes up positive charged ammonia or negative charged nitrate,” Geis explained, adding that keeping nitrogen in the ammonium form improves efficiency and keeps nutrients where roots can access them.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Geis stressed the importance of disciplined planning and return on investment. “Make a solid plan and follow your plan,” he said, noting that success will come from bushels, not high commodity prices. He encouraged growers to stay proactive with scouting and to combine applications when possible. “If you build that into the plan, then you’re ready to act on it,” Geis said, concluding that planning for success — rather than reacting to problems — gives farmers the best chance to remain profitable in a challenging market environment.
