Research has repeatedly shown corn’s yield potential starts declining if plants don’t emerge within a tight timeframe, but dry conditions following planting can wreak havoc on best-laid plans for uniform emergence. If one in six corn plants is two leaf stages behind the rest, expect a four per cent yield reduction, says Morgan Cott, agronomy… Read More
Category: Corn Planting
The weeks following planting season — when problems that arose during planting are still top of mind and planter-related issues can be identified in the field — offer an opportunity to pro-actively perform maintenance and upgrades before parking the planter in the back of the shed. The summer months can also coincide with equipment dealer… Read More
The proof is in the plant stand when it comes to evaluating how a corn planter performed in spring. This episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School is all about grading planter performance, as we head to a field near Homewood, Man., with Breanne Rey of PRIDE Seeds and planter expert Andrew Kippen of North Valley Precision… Read More
A bag of seed corn checks in at 80,000 kernels and typically weighs between 35 and 65 pounds. One bag will plant roughly 2.5 acres. But the job of producing that seed is very different than growing a commercial corn crop. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, we kick off a three-part series on… Read More
A European corn borer (ECB) population in part of eastern Canada appears to have developed resistance to a Bt protein commonly used in North American corn hybrids for preventing damage from the pest. On April 27th, the Canadian Corn Pest Coalition reported a sample of ECB collected near Truro, Nova Scotia, showed reduced susceptibility to… Read More
Record yields in 2022 after a late start are raising some questions about the assumption that earlier is always better for planting corn in Manitoba and other northern growing areas. Historical averages in Manitoba show a downward trend in yield with each week that passes in May, but the 2022 crop set a new bar… Read More
A properly calibrated planter can make a key contribution to corn yield but could the planter wheels be causing yield-robbing soil compaction? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs corn specialist Ben Rosser says it’s important for growers to be aware of soil compaction on or around corn rows during planting. On this episode… Read More
Where should growers place fertilizer in strip-till strips to best protect the seed from injury while optimizing nutrient uptake? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs corn lead Ben Rosser says Ontario does have “safe rate” recommendations for in-furrow and 2″x 2″ planter banding but no guidelines are currently available for strip-till fertilizer placement…. Read More
This spring, corn growers will be planting different seed sizes ranging from large rounds to flats and small rounds. Does the seed size impact the potential yield growers can expect to combine this fall? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, PRIDE Seeds agronomist Olivia Noorenberghe notes that all seed, regardless of size, carries… Read More
Planting corn at a uniform depth across the field is a key driver of even emergence and optimum yield. To ensure seed is planted at the desired depth, Kearney Planters operations manager Cullen Tinline says it’s critical for growers to ensure they ‘zero’ the row units before they roll into fields this spring. On most… Read More
What needs replacing? What’s worn out? What should I be looking for? Those are just a few of the questions Kearney Planters operations manager Cullen Tinline is fielding from grower customers as winter turns to spring. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Tinline takes us on a planter inspection and offers maintenance and… Read More
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
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