|
Lisbon, OH | Looking ahead to 2021 while I'm looking at some of my 2020 corn ground. I tried several different things this year, and so things worked and others didn't. All of our corn was non-GMO from Viking. We started planting May 9th with a 108 day at 28.5k/acre. This was on 2 different places, both low fertility. We fertilized for 170 bu corn, hoping to build the soil some. If we hit 150 bu on this ground we are happy. The first farm planted looks like it's going to be around 160 bu. The 2nd farm was planted May 12th. It was burned down the end of April, and we had a cold snap that affected the herbicide. Realized this after planting, but didn't get a 2nd pass until the 2nd week of June. Corn here is pretty uneven, hoping it will do 100-120 bu.
Right now, my best corn is looking like a 104 day planted May 25-27th. Hoping it is going to do 180-200 bu. This is on ground that has better fertility and pH. We planted at 28.5k and 32k.
Picture below is of the 108 day corn that I think is going to do OK. Have to get some of the 104 day, but it looks better.
I usually like to get started planting around May 10th, and finish up by the end of the month. With the way the weather was this year, it was cold the beginning of May, but got really warm towards the end. Rain was good until we hit July, then it was very dry for here. In the past, I have put on starter fertilizer with my planter (Dry), and then came back to side dress 1 or 2 more times. I have also sprayed a pre and a post pass. I am trying to cut down on how many times I cover my acres. Although I am not farming a huge area, I am pretty spread out, so moving equipment multiple times, in addition to making hay and running cows, makes it tough to keep everything done on time. This year, I sprayed all of my acres either 2 weeks before planting, just after planting, or 3 days after, depending on the herbicide I used (mainly because of 2,4-d in the mix). I ran 250 lbs of 19-19-19 on the planter, with the rest broadcast from mid June-early July. (July was almost too late to get the buggy through).
So, here's where the questions come in:
What options do I have when it comes to RM on corn? I know that changing varieties is a good idea because of weather differences, fertility, etc, but can I plant the same variety on all acres at different times and be OK?
What would be the minimum and maximum RM I should look at? (I'm in NE Ohio, between Youngstown and Steubenville) I usually shoot for around a 150 bu/ac yield. County averages are 138-146 bu/ac.
I am definitely going to look more into one pass herbicide options, as I was happy with how some of the acres turned out. Going to have to tweak my mix a little, and really look at the weather. Any other options here? We are all non-GMO/conventional corn. Used a couple different mixes - Dual, Capreno, Callisto, 2,4-d, Glyphosate, etc.
Fertilizer. How much of my fertilizer can I put on up front? Usually do at least minimum tillage before planting, with starter on the planter. Once we get into May, tillage, planting, hay, etc really catch up with me, and I don't have very much help. June gets really busy, so getting back around to spray and side dress is sometimes tough, especially dodging the weather. I don't want to take a hit on yield if I can help. I usually try to fertilize for around 170 bu removal, and then add in some to try to build fertility on the poorer ground.
Just looking ahead, and trying to gain some knowledge. I've found several things that don't work for me, but always trying to find something new that will work. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 (IMG_20200904_080114557 (full).jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 IMG_20200904_080114557 (full).jpg (189KB - 132 downloads)
| |
|
|
Corn RM, fertility, yield and 2021
