Answer Plots

Aug 10, 2020


As summer winds down and we move closer to fall, many farmers occasionally find themselves with a little extra time on their hands. No doubt many of you will enjoy some much-needed time away from the farm during this “lull” between the crops being laid by and the beginning of harvest. However, sometimes breaking away from our normal everyday is an essential part developing new ideas and ways of thinking that can make us better. Spending a few hours at your local Answer Plot with your Co-op sales person can be a great way to experience a change of scenery and do some hands-on learning while sharpening your agronomic skills.

You might ask, what is an answer plot? Answer plots are locally grown demo fields of corn and soybeans on farms just like yours. These fields are leased from local farmers and planted and maintained by Winfield United. Each site contains a combination of both “scratch and sniff” demonstration plots as well as limited access research plots which are taken to yield and eventually become published data sets. This year in Tennessee, Answer Plots are established in Manchester, Greenfield, and Hornsby.

The demos are designed to give attendees a first-hand look at agronomic products and practices that can increase success on the farm. The target audience is anyone within the Co-op family involved in production agriculture. The types of insights found in these plots can vary from the most basic of concepts to the very complex. 

Some of the demos that can be found in the plots this year include: magnesium management, corn seed
treatments, nitrogen stabilizers, nitrogen management, zinc management, PGR / biologicals evaluation, corn fungicides sand plant health, soybean population study, and soybean seed treatment evaluations. Each plot will have several treatments as well as an untreated check for comparison.

Answer plots are a great resource for our cooperative system in Tennessee and is accessible to all current and potential Co-op customers. The efforts put into making these plots available is a great testament to the advantages a strong cooperative provides to its member owners.

Take this down time contact your local co-op crops professional and schedule a time for a personal walk through to see for yourself what all the fuss is about!
 

Read More News

Mar 23, 2026
Congress is weighing two parallel tracks to support agriculture: advancing a scaled-down farm bill and approving billions in additional emergency assistance as farm finances remain under intense pressure.
 
Mar 16, 2026

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) on March 12, 2026 urged Congress to act immediately to pass legislation that would allow for the year-round sale of fuels with 15% ethanol blends, often referred to as E15, to help offset rising costs related to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mar 10, 2026
American Soybean Association (ASA) President Scott Metzger, a soybean farmer from Williamsport, Ohio, testified on March 10 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry regarding the importance of strengthening domestic markets for U.S.-grown agricultural products.