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Dalton, OH | We are usually cultivating our corn 2 times. Also rotary hoe once or twice and run the tine weeder 1-2 times, depending on the weather and weed situation. The guidance system runs $25-35,000 depending on the size of cultivator it will be used on. We will be up to 500 acres of organic corn for 2018. This will be the most acres we have raised as we are still transitioning the rest our farm over to organic. We also have 2 other 8-row cultivators that are older that we plan to use if we get behind due to the weather. This cultivator should allow us to run 5-6 mph which translates into 10-12 acres/hour with our field sizes and efficiencies. We are fortunate to have an excellent market for organic corn locally. $10/bushels is common and its actually much higher right now. Organic is not for everyone as it takes a lot more management than conventional plus you need to have a good crop rotation. Most of our corn is raised after hay, making weed control usually quite easy. Our yields have been consistent with our conventional corn. This is the 1st year we won’t have any conventional corn on our farm. We consider ourselves a High input High output organic farm, meaning we spend quite a few $ on the crop inputs, fertilizer, foliars, manure, equipment, etc., but have found we can meet or exceed conventional yields. We also raise hay, soybeans, barley, oats, and cereal rye so this gives us a diverse crop rotation. | |
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New row crop cultivator
