Independent FIRST Trials Overview
2026 FIRST Program Guide
Plan for the 2026 season with one comprehensive guide to products, procedures, regional layouts, and EarthOptics soil analysis support across the FIRST testing network.
2026 Partnership for Soil Sampling & Analysis
FIRST has partnered with EarthOptics to bring advanced soil sampling and analysis technology to our research trials. EarthOptics delivers detailed, field-level soil health insights that help growers make smarter decisions.
Check the Harvest Reports for per-plot yield data, including macronutrient and micronutrient levels, biofertility scores, and above- and below-ground pest & disease pressure measured by EarthOptics.
Jump to Harvest Reports
Open interactive report pages, maps, and location detail views for each crop.
Brands and contactsBrowse Sponsors
See participating brands, partner contacts, and the organizations behind the trials.
MethodologyReview Procedures
Understand how FIRST measures yield, maturity groupings, and regional comparisons.
Historical viewExplore the Archive
Compare the current guide against prior seasons and archived region summaries.
2026 Products Tested Listings
Comprehensive listings of hybrids and varieties in the 2026 FIRST trials.
The 2026 Products Tested Directories are available below and include full contact details for each of our sponsor and participant brands. See what new seed products our sponsors have entered in this year's tests. Each hybrid and variety that has been tested by FIRST in previous seasons is highlighted with a link to its individual Product Report.
Seed entered by FIRST as a check (CK) in split maturity tests or as a grower comparison (GC) is designated with those abbreviations. FIRST includes these brands to strengthen results and is not compensated for the seed and field work for CK and GC products.
Due to company consolidation, products entered by Dairyland, NuTech and Seed Consultants are listed and reported as Hoegemeyer Hybrids brand seeds.
Testing Objectives and Procedures
FIRST provides a fair and objective platform under a uniform testing standard to compare seed productivity in a multitude of soil and growing conditions across 15 states. These replicated tests are conducted on 255 farms so that producers and ag professionals can better match seed performance with particular growing conditions.
FIRST's work relies on collaborations between cooperating farmers, sponsoring seed companies, FIRST Field Managers and publishing partners. The continuing goal of the program is to deliver timely, unbiased comparisons of innovative seed genetics to improve yield and profitability for American farmers.
2026 Region and Location Details
Filter by crop or search by state, region code, manager, or region name.
FIRST trials are arranged in regions of several contiguous counties, with 5-6 plot locations for corn grain and 4 locations for soybeans and corn silage that are representative of the area. Each seed entered in the region is tested at all locations in order to provide 18-20 small plot observations in the entire region.
Use the filters below to narrow the test plan, then expand a crop section to review the full maturity ranges and manager assignments.
Corn Grain 5 maturity bands Expand details
See the ARCHIVE page for locations and products tested in each region.
| Maturity Range per Test | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Region | Region Name | Manager | UE (u) | Early (a) | Full (b) | UL (l) | All |
| DM | DMNO | Delaware Maryland North | Rob Kauffman | -- | -- | -- | -- | 106 - 118 |
| IA | IAEC | Iowa East Central | Randy Meinsma | -- | 105 - 111 | 112 - 117 | -- | -- |
| IA | IANC | Iowa North Central | Matt Dahle | 95 - 100 | 101 - 106 | 107 - 111 | -- | -- |
| IA | IANW | Iowa Northwest | Nick Hoffman | -- | 95 - 106 | 107 - 111 | -- | -- |
| IA | IASO | Iowa South | Randy Meinsma | -- | 106 - 111 | 112 - 117 | -- | -- |
| IA | IAWC | Iowa West Central | Randy Meinsma | -- | 105 - 111 | 112 - 117 | -- | -- |
| IL | ILCV | Illinois Conventional | Nathan Roux | -- | -- | -- | -- | 101 - 115 |
| IL | ILEC | Illinois East Central | Nathan Roux | -- | 105 - 111 | 112 - 117 | -- | -- |
| IL | ILNO | Illinois North | Nathan Roux | 101 - 106 | 107 - 110 | 111 - 115 | -- | -- |
| IL | ILSO | Illinois South | Klint Tucker | -- | 107 - 113 | 114 - 119 | -- | -- |
| IL | ILWC | Illinois West Central | Nathan Roux | -- | 105 - 111 | 112 - 117 | -- | -- |
| IN | INCE | Indiana Central | Klint Tucker | 102 - 107 | 108 - 112 | 113 - 117 | -- | -- |
| IN | INNO | Indiana North | Matt Turner | -- | 103 - 108 | 109 - 113 | -- | -- |
| IN | INSO | Indiana South | Klint Tucker | -- | 108 - 112 | 113 - 120 | -- | -- |
| KS | KSCE | Kansas Central | Melissa Nelson | -- | -- | -- | -- | 107 - 118 |
| KS | KSEA | Kansas East | Melissa Nelson | -- | -- | -- | -- | 107 - 118 |
| MI | MISO | Michigan South | Matt Turner | -- | 97 - 103 | 104 - 109 | -- | -- |
| MN | MNSE | Minnesota Southeast | Mark Querna | 92 - 96 | 97 - 102 | 103 - 107 | -- | -- |
| MN | MNSW | Minnesota Southwest | Mark Querna | -- | 97 - 102 | 103 - 107 | 108 - 112 | -- |
| MN | MNWC | Minnesota West Central | Ed Dahle | 88 - 92 | 93 - 98 | 99 - 102 | -- | -- |
| MO | MOEA | Missouri East | Klint Tucker | -- | 107 - 112 | 113 - 118 | -- | -- |
| NC | NCTS | North Central Iowa, Tri-State Illinois & Wisconsin | Matt Speers | -- | 101 - 107 | 108 - 111 | -- | -- |
| NE | NENE | Nebraska Northeast | Nick Hoffman | -- | 105 - 110 | 111 - 115 | -- | -- |
| NE | NESE | Nebraska Southeast | Nick Hoffman | -- | 107 - 112 | 113 - 117 | -- | -- |
| OH | OHNW | Ohio Northwest | Matt Turner | -- | 103 - 108 | 109 - 113 | -- | -- |
| PA | PASE | Pennsylvania Southeast | Rob Kauffman | -- | -- | -- | -- | 105 - 115 |
| SD | SDNE | South Dakota Northeast | Matt Eich | -- | 91 - 96 | 97 - 102 | -- | -- |
| SD | SDSE | South Dakota Southeast | Payden Peterson | -- | 98 - 102 | 103 - 108 | -- | -- |
| WI | WICE | Wisconsin Central | Matt Speers | -- | 93 - 98 | 99 - 102 | -- | -- |
| WI | WISO | Wisconsin South | Matt Speers | -- | 99 - 104 | 105 - 109 | -- | -- |
Soybeans 3 maturity bands Expand details
See the ARCHIVE page for locations and products tested in each region.
| Maturity Range per Test | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Region | Region Name | Manager | Early (a) | Full (b) | All |
| IA | IANC | Iowa North Central | Matt Dahle | 1.6 - 2.2 | 2.3 - 2.9 | -- |
| IA | IANE | Iowa Northeast | Matt Dahle | 1.6 - 2.2 | 2.3 - 2.9 | -- |
| IA | IANOCV | Iowa North Conventional Specialty | Matt Dahle | -- | -- | 1.7 - 2.9 |
| IA | IANW | Iowa Northwest | Nick Hoffman | -- | -- | 1.6 - 2.5 |
| IA | IASC | Iowa South Central | Randy Meinsma | 2.3 - 2.7 | 2.8 - 3.2 | -- |
| IA | IASO | Iowa South | Randy Meinsma | 2.5 - 3 | 3.1 - 3.6 | -- |
| IL | ILNC | Illinois North Central | Nathan Roux | 2.8 - 3.3 | 3.4 - 3.8 | -- |
| IL | ILNO | Illinois North | Nathan Roux | 2.4 - 2.8 | 2.9 - 3.3 | -- |
| IL | ILSC | Illinois South Central | Nathan Roux | 3.3 - 3.7 | 3.8 - 4.3 | -- |
| IL | ILSO | Illinois South | Klint Tucker | 3.4 - 4 | 4.1 - 4.8 | -- |
| IN | INCE | Indiana Central | Klint Tucker | 2.8 - 3.2 | 3.3 - 3.8 | -- |
| IN | INNO | Indiana North | Matt Turner | 2.4 - 2.8 | 2.9 - 3.5 | -- |
| MN | MNSC | Minnesota South Central | Mark Querna | -- | -- | 1.5 - 2.2 |
| MN | MNSO | Minnesota South | Mark Querna | -- | -- | 1.6 - 2.3 |
| MN | MNSOCV | Minnesota South Conventional Specialty | Mark Querna | -- | -- | 1 - 2.3 |
| MN | MNWC | Minnesota West Central | Ed Dahle | 0.6 - 1.3 | 1.4 - 2 | -- |
| MO | MOEA | Missouri East | Klint Tucker | -- | -- | 3.5 - 4.8 |
| NC | NCSL | North Central State Line | Matt Speers | -- | -- | 2.1 - 2.9 |
| NE | NEEA | Nebraska East | Nick Hoffman | -- | -- | 2.4 - 3.8 |
| OH | OHNW | Ohio Northwest | Matt Turner | -- | -- | 2.4 - 3.5 |
| SD | SDNE | South Dakota Northeast | Matt Eich | -- | -- | 0.7 - 1.9 |
| SD | SDSE | South Dakota Southeast | Payden Peterson | 1.5 - 2.1 | 2.2 - 2.8 | -- |
| WI | WISO | Wisconsin South | Matt Speers | -- | -- | 1.8 - 2.5 |