Pleasantly surprised describes many corn growers this fall, even as the harvest drags on into December. While there were areas that suffered from excess moisture and cool temps, many areas are finally tallying up the last of the corn yields and the numbers are, well, quite good.
Ontario field editor, Bernard Tobin, joined Ken Currah, marketing agronomist with PRIDE Seeds, during harvest of one of the PRIDE Seeds Advantage Acre Initiative plots. The goal of this program is to record and measure the elements that combine to create 300 bushel an acre corn, and this year several of the plots got close or made it. Weather and soil type played the most significant role, as lighter soil stood up to the extra water, but the combination of hybrid selection, nitrogen management and disease management all factored in to these monster yields.
See more: Check out all the RealAgriculture Corn School videos here.
As Currah goes on to say, it’s those fields that knocked it out of the park on ideal stand establishment that really shone this year. A key factor in these big yields has been soil — proper soil management means excellent root establishment and growth. And roots that can grow and stretch are roots that can support a crop, fill kernels and access those inputs you’ve painstakingly chosen and applied. (Click here for an excellent discussion on soil tilth.)
If you cannot see the embedded video, click here.