New England crop variety reviews · 2026.
New England's cool, humid climate and short growing season favor short-RM corn, early-maturity soybeans, perennial forages, and cool-season brassicas. Variety choice has outsized impact here — a 110 RM corn that ripens fine in southern Pennsylvania will not finish in Vermont.
Cool, humid continental climate with cold winters and short to moderate growing seasons. Forage and short-season grain are dominant; row-crop choices are constrained by season length.
Strong performers in New England
- Yukon GoldGoodPotatoesUniversity Trial Data
Yukon Gold is widely planted in New England fresh-market and home-garden potato production — yellow-flesh appeal in farmers' market sales channels and reliable mid-season maturity fit the regional growing season. Maine extension has an active potato variety trial program.
New England variety trial programs
Land-grant universities serving New England publish annual variety trial reports. These are the gold standard for variety performance data — independent, replicated, peer-reviewed methodology.
- UMass Extension Crops & Soilsag.umass.edu/crops-dairy-livestock-equine ↗
- UVM Extension Agronomywww.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture ↗
- Cornell Field Cropsfieldcrops.cals.cornell.edu ↗