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Amherst WI |
I grow peas and sweet corn and it always seems like it is feast or famine. I've only grown peas for two years but have grown sweet corn since 2006.
The peas last year sucked, this year they were almost double what they were last year and everyone is asking me what I did to get those kinds of yields, what did I do? The bare minimum because I was convinced they would get screwed by July heat since they weren't planted until May 25th. Obviously the weather played a huge role in the great yields, tissue samples came back slightly low in Ca and thats it.
Sweet corn seems hit or miss too. This year it sucked because I caught hail 10 days before tassle and it was really cloudy after tassle until harvest so it had shallow kernals. Tissue samples said it was a little light on K but otherwise in good shape. Last year it was great, 2012 we couldn't get enough water on it and it sucked, 06-11 were average at best.
Soybeans and especially corn is much more stable year over year, you can count on your yield every year. But you get a year like last year where harvest drags on forever veggies look good there too.
The $5-$7 corn days I would have been much further ahead to plant corn/beans. Even though I stuck with them in those days there is no loyalty to me if I need acres in the future, found that out this year when I didn't know if I had a sweet corn contract until the end of April (even though I was promised one all winter), and that was with what was left of a banqrupt company now run by the creditors.
I guess with all this rambling I am trying to decide if it is worth the hassle. I'd rather have some base hits every year with grain crops than deal with foul tips and home runs with the veggies, but every time I get the weight tickets from a crappy crop I get in this mood. | |
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Question for the veggie guys?
