Corn yields in Ontario have been increasing 2 bu/ac, or one per cent per, year over the past 40 years. Where is that yield increase coming from? University of Guelph associate professor David Hooker says genetics (65 per cent) and agronomy (35 per cent) are the key contributors to bigger corn crops. Corn breeders can… Read More
Category: Corn Planting
The Christmas holidays are here! What better way to spend the time than catching some of the 30 Corn School episodes RealAgriculture published in 2022? We kicked off the season in January with Purdue University agronomy professor Dr. Tony Vyn who tackled the question: where does yield come from? Vyn notes that hybrid research over… Read More
How does adding 100 crop heat units to the maturity of your corn hybrids impact the yield and profitability of the crop? Agronomist Peter Johnson tackles that question on this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School with help from University of Guelph associate professor David Hooker. Earlier this year, Hooker took a deep dive into… Read More
From moisture to nutrients, plant roots play a critical role in feeding corn throughout the growing season. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Sullivan Agro agronomist Paul Sullivan looks at some of the problems growing plants can run into as they push down into the soil looking to feed the plant, fuel cob… Read More
Soil, water and topography maps — more commonly know as SWAT Maps — are becoming a familiar management tool for corn producers. These high-resolution soil foundation maps are used to execute variable rate fertilizer, seed, soil amendment and pesticide applications. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin catches up with Sullivan… Read More
Whether the corn crop is just being planted or is emerging in the field, it’s time to do some digging around. If the crop hasn’t emerged yet, you can still do some diagnostics to evaluate how everything is going and get a better understanding of the corn root, and how the corn plant is growing…. Read More
Crop insurance deadlines may be looming, but the rush to get corn seed in the ground when it’s late in the planting window and soil conditions are wet can also cause problems, such as poor root development, later in the growing season. Sidewall compaction in the furrow is a common consequence of planting into wet… Read More
As warmer weather arrives and fields start to dry up, many growers are tempted to begin field work in preparation for planting. Working soil that’s not fit, however, can prove problematic later in the spring and throughout the growing season. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, we catch up with PRIDE Seeds agronomist Matt… Read More
Have you zeroed your row units? It’s one way to help ensure the corn planter is planting at the same depth across the entire implement and the field. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Kearney Planters sales and customer care specialist Jay Curtis shows why zeroing row units is important and how to do it… Read More
As warmer weather arrives, it’s time for final planter preparation. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Kearney Planters sales and customer care specialist Jay Curtis takes a look at some of the basic requirements to ensure row units are ready to travel at the proper depths, seed drops are accurate, and the seed trench… Read More
2021 was a big year for corn yield in Ontario. Although not official, the average yield is expected to check in at just over 200 bu/ac — a new record. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, we take a closer look at where this yield is coming from with Purdue University agronomy professor Dr…. Read More
How does strip tillage impact a corn plant’s ability to access and take up nutrients? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ben Rosser, corn lead at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, looks at fertility research plots that compare how corn performs in both conventional tillage and spring strip tillage systems. In… Read More
When it comes to strip tilling, is it better to plant corn into fall strips or spring strips? Ben Rosser, corn lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has been working on this question for a while now, and in this Corn School episode, Bernard Tobin catches up with him in… Read More
What if corn, like soybeans, could fix its own nitrogen? It’s a question agronomist Dale Cowan and his team at AGRIS Co-operative are tackling this summer as they test a biological product that promises to help corn plants fix nitrogen, when applied directly on the seed, in pop-up fertilizer, and through foliar application between the… Read More
Weather is the ultimate source for small talk, and rainfall is perhaps the most talked about — from how much, to when, to not enough, and on too much. For this episode of the Corn School, Bernard Tobin asks Dale Cowan, senior agronomist at AGRIS C0-operative, about how much rain a corn crop needs throughout… Read More