11.16.07 - Want to Produce 300 Bushel Corn
Part 2 of a 4 Part Series on How It’s Done
Welcome back...we hope you enjoyed last month’s article as our first in a 4-part series on producing 300 bushels of corn per acre here in the Mid-South. The previous article was intended to "wet your appetite" and get you thinking about how to raise your corn yields far above your current expectations. We know that producing 300 bushels of corn per acre is not easy, but we also know that it CAN be done because it is already being done in many parts of the country. However, farmers are learning that producing those kinds of yields, consistently, requires changing how they think about growing corn. It is not as difficult as you may think. Best of all, when you figure the extra profits that can be made, with current corn prices, "on your way" to getting those kinds of yields, it becomes a lot easier to change your thinking. So that is exactly where we are going begin article No. 2 of this series, how you "think."
We know what you really want, a "list" of all of the changes you need to make to significantly increase your yields. Things like upping populations, planting earlier, or putting on more fertilizer are just a few of the things that come to your mind right now. Right? Unfortunately, it is not that easy. Even though factors like those are key elements to getting top yields, they have been tried before and without much success. That’s why we’re going to begin where every corn grower needs to begin, at the beginning, with a plan that creates a whole new state of mind.
What Are YOU Thinking About Right Now?
Most of our readers are convinced they cannot raise 300-bushel corn consistently, unless they have done so already. If you farm in an area where you do not receive adequate rainfall and you don’t irrigate, 300 bushels per acre may not be your goal, but doubling your current yield average may become your goal instead. It is all relative to what you believe is possible. If you don’t believe you can increase your yields substantially, you really don’t need to read any further. But if you are willing to change your mindset about producing corn, you will be successful working toward that new goal.
The first step towards producing top yields is to get you to stop "laughing" and start believing. When you do not fully believe in something you are actually laughing about it on the inside, it’s called the "laugh test" and here is how it works. Below is a list of some of things you will need to do in order to consistently raise 300 bushels of corn per acre on your farm. With no explanation of why or how you will do any of these things you will probably find yourself laughing to yourself. You probably think that you would never do some of these things or that they are silly practices. Begin taking the "laugh test" and see which ones may cause you to chuckle on the inside.
Put a check mark next to the ones you are "laughing" at. To consistently raise 300 bushels of corn per acre on your farm you will need to:
- Finalize your cropping plan at least 6 months in advance of planting
- Match at least 2 different varieties to each field
- Plant every variety at a different plant population, with your best fields and varieties at 42,000-50,000 plants-per-acre
- Evaluate what, when, how and how much fertilizer you apply
- Buy all of your corn seed from one company
- Tissue test every month
- Foliar feed
- Apply lime
- Plant no less than 2 inches deep
- Plant no faster than 5 miles per hour
- Plant ONLY when soil conditions are approved for 300 bushel per acre yields
- Plant ONLY seed that is 99% pure and 98% germination
- Apply pesticides and fungicides whether conditions indicate the need or not
- Walk every field every day
- Use every technology available on every variety you plant
- Plant 1 ⁄ 3 of your acres to the fullest season varieties you can get
- Begin harvest at 28% moisture
- Chart test weights of each variety very closely
- Give us the next 5 years to get you to 300 bushels
We knew we would get you laughing. Most of you are already saying to yourself; that is too much work, I would never do that, or it just won’t work in my area. If that is the case, we have work to do. Remember in the first article we said to open up your mind and think differently about how corn is raised? Before you stop reading, open up your mind and think about the CONCEPT, not just the specifics, of what you just read. The concept says "get ready to make some real changes in your operation because those changes will result in higher profits than you ever imagined." How much profit would you realize by producing 300 bushel corn at $4 or even $5 per bushel? You do the math.
All of the things we presented may not fit your operation exactly, but NONE of them should surprise or scare you. In our program, you will be asked to commit yourself to doing things differently. Remember, we aren’t asking you to do this on your entire farm the first year. However, we are asking you try our system on at least 1⁄3 of your acres so you will succeed over the next 3-5 years. Each year you will see the progress, and you will want to add more acres to the program. What would an extra 20, 30, or 50 bushels per acre mean each year to you? Whenever you feel yourself wanting to start "laughing", step back, take a breath, and remind yourself of the opportunity.