10.05.07 - Raising 300 Bushel Corn Is An "Attitude"
First in a 4 Part Series!
Many corn growers have never dreamed of raising 300 bushels of corn per acre on their farms, let alone averaging that level year after year. That is exactly why they have never done it. Even though some farmers here in the Mid-South had record corn yields this fall, many would attribute those high yields to favorable factors, such as weather, rather than things they did intentionally as a farming practice. After all, corn yields have been increasing at an annual rate of 2-4% over the past 30 years. So, growers may think that’s the best they can do, but that certainly isn’t the case anymore. According to Rod Osthus, former corn researcher and 35-year veteran of the seed industry, "Raising 300 or more bushels of corn per acre starts with dreaming AND believing you can do it." Osthus says it’s mostly about learning to think like a 300+ bushel corn grower thinks. "Corn yields have already been recorded in excess of 400 bushels per acre in the US,"he continues. "When you consider that every bag of corn seed planted has the potential to produce 600 bushels or more per acre, farmers should be consistently achieving at least half of that potential. Corn growers need to stop laughing at the idea and start changing how they THINK about raising corn. Once a corn grower starts thinking differently and believes he can raise 300 bushel corn, he will take the necessary actions to make that belief a reality."
Are you laughing?
The folks at AgVenture Mid-South are not laughing. After all, they are the ones helping growers think bigger than ever when it comes to producing corn yields that are far above their expectations. "We don’t expect every acre to produce 300 bushel corn," says David Walker, Director of Crop Planning and Corn Specialist for AgVenture, Inverness, Mississippi. "We do believe, however, that every one of our corn customers has the potential to increase their yield averages far above their current levels. And… you don’t have to have irrigation to do it. Dry land farmers can significantly increase their yields, too."
It Starts With Believing.
"I agree with Rod Osthus," says Terry Dulaney, President of AgVenture Seed in Clarksdale, MS. "To work toward yield goals that high, like any goal, it starts with believing your goal can be achieved. We’re not talking about a simple act of faith." According to Terry, "You can’t think like a 150 bushel per acre corn producer if you want to produce yields twice that high. You have to start thinking like a 300-bushel per acre corn producer by challenging conventional wisdom and implementing production changes accordingly. That’s what our customers are doing," concludes Terry.
It Takes Time.
For years farmers have been stuck at 4-5 bushel annual increases in corn yields. Is that bad? No, but it is a long way from the 300 bushels farmers should be making. "If it has taken a grower 20 years to raise average corn yields by 50 bushels per acre, one can not expect their averages to jump another 50 bushels per acre in just one or two years," says Lead Agronomist Wayne Dulaney, "It won’t happen, but we are going to help our customers make substantial and progressive yield advances over the next five years to reach the 300 bushel per acre mark. That is pretty significant, especially when you consider the added profits they will be getting every year along the way."
Forget What You Thought You Knew.
David Walker says that most of the changes corn growers have been making, while attempting to increase average yields, have occurred above the ground. They consistently adjust plant populations, planting depths, row spacings and even buy new planters as methods to produce higher yields. According to Walker, perfect stands with ideal distribution are essential, but they are not the only deciding factors in attaining higher yields. There are so many "other factors" that contribute to top yields that cannot be controlled with a few above ground adjustments. Unfortunately, most growers don’t know what the "other factors" are." "We help farmers with those "other factors" that few companies understand or tell their customers about," says David. "Managing all of these essential elements together correctly will dramatically increase a grower’s chance of achieving significantly higher yields year in and year out. "In these days of high commodity prices, corn growers will be presented with opportunities they have not seen before," says Terry. "AgVenture is a company that delivers value, something farmers need more than cheap product or free technology. Much of that value comes in the form of information, the information that farmers have needed for a long time. Currently, most growers probably have no idea how important the correct in-depth information is to reaching these yield levels. Either no one else has this information or they are not willing to share it." "Producing top corn yields requires a lot right information," continues Terry. "We do have the information, we will share it, and we will show our customers how to use it to compliment their current management system. Much of the information will be new things growers have never seen or heard before. But all of the information will give our customers a much better understanding of how to produce a top crop. As a result, it gives them much more control and help them better project their future."