Hello Mud Dauber

I learnt the hard way, by my own mistake! The first year that I planted a field of corn, I planted the whole field. I knocked a bunch of nice corn down opening up the field & tried to pick it up coming back the other way. Again what a mistake. I spent more time stopping & reversing the feeder & pulling the corn out of the jambed up header than I did chopping those outside rounds. I then had trouble again later when I was working the field with the chisel plow, plugging up & dragging those stalks around.

Since then I shut 4 rows off around the outside of the field & where I'm going to split the field. Corn seed is expensive, so why not only waste it, but also cause myself extra aggravation later on??? I'm growing RUP corn, so unplanted strips stay fairly clean.  

Reason for edit: Typo.   

On 38" rows, Dad did it, threw the center of the field.(two rows driven over)

 Note: Always had enough room, to get endrows, driving one-way around field, between fence and corn stalks(Always leave enough room for tractor and bushhog)

On 50 acre rectangular field, drove straight down the center (pushed over two rows), then returned to one of the "far" sides(edge of field), then got another set rows, then returned to center, to get two additional rows, going the same direction, as the first pass thru center of field = now, you have a little "room" to pull out, if something goes wrong.(for this next pass)

Next, you turn around, at center of field, and come back slowly and try to pick up, the two "driven over" rows. Once that is done, you do the center 1/3rd of field = making gap wider and wider. Next you do either of the outer 1/3rd areas. Lastly, you do the last outer 1/3rd of field.

So, the whole field only had two center rows, that were ever driven over.

We always knew cows, or cattle would be in those fields, after harvest anyways, so a little down corn wasn't going to be wasted.

I no this doesn't help you guys much but I have a business of running around opening corn fields with a 6710 spfh , and yeah , I no - trust me I no , its not a profitable business , but for some reason I still do it . glutted for punishment I gess ! was on 80 different farms an had over 400 engine hrs when all done last year . some whole jobs and some snapalge but probly 80% opening corn fields for small dairy farms .