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| Probably the most important thing is to make sure you are getting the reasonable yield potential you have with land you farm and the genetics you are using. For example, if you are using a hybrid that has it's best year to year potential at 33K plants/acre final stand, then planting 28K would be a mistake over time. Even planting 33K in the spring without considering some seeds don't germinate would potentially be a drag on your investment. We don't all have to be Francis Childs, but we do need to spend enough to get the benefit of what we are working with. This may seem pretty simple if it's all flat, black, well drained soils, but it gets a little tricky with more variable soils. For me the triple stacks are much healthier on my wet hill sides. I've decided to use a fungicide/insecticide mix on everything this year to further enhance plant health. It was pretty cheap in generic form ($10-$13/acre, even with stratego - no generic for fungi's) so I think it's worth the effort. I have some severe problems at times and it's possible to gain nearly 50 bpa in some spots that struggle. I may have an extreme case, but it's always an eye opener when I suddenly find out how much yield I'm leaving on the table for a relatively small investment. Does this mean foliar feeding and magic fertilizers are the answer - probably not since they are usually very expensive for the potential return (if any).
I'm pretty sure you can spend more money on yield gains than gets returned in profit. However, I'm no where close to that and it's taken me a long time to recognize the profit potential available to my business, by simply using the tools we have today more appropriately.
It also boils down to consistency - keeping yields from falling off the face of the earth in tough conditions. Crop failures, even with insurance, are difficult for a business to withstand.
My 2 cents, thanks,
Pat | |
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Highest Yields or Most Profit per Acre
