Category: Corn School

As planting (eventually) gets under way, a little planning and moving of skids of seed can go a long way in not only increasing the efficiency of planting, but also ensuring that refuge requirements aren’t missed. Some seed variety packaging has made meeting the refuge requirements easy with the RIB (Refuge In a Bag) system,… Read More

Is it warm enough to plant? It’s a common question these days and one that has many a farmer out checking soil temps often. The tricky part about spring soil warm-up is that the optimal soil temp for germination isn’t necessary the optimum soil temp for sprouting and emergence of the corn crop. Add in… Read More

Here we go again. It’s time to start thinking about getting into the field. That means taking a real, good look at your corn planter and getting it ready to do the job it’s supposed to do. Not having your planter setup properly is a yield robbing nightmare. In this episode of the Corn School… Read More

Ken Ferrie wants you to slow the planter down. And then stop. Yes, really.  While the planting season is a hectic one, rushing, especially in wet conditions, is a recipe for disaster. Ferrie, an independent agronomist, wants farmers to slow down and better match planter speed to planting conditions. What’s more, he wants you to… Read More

Farming would be much, much easier and far less risky if we could control the weather. We can’t, of course, so the first point of any “most limiting factor” list — the weather — is always moot. After that, though, there are several management factors well within farmers’ control that deserve some attention when gunning… Read More

It’s easy to see what’s going on with your corn crop above ground. You can see things like changes in colour, difference in height, physical damage. When it comes to a diagnosis however, in most cases it pays to start looking underground. Root analysis can keep you from throwing good money after bad. Adding nutrients… Read More

Any farmer who loves a good list missed out on one fantastic presentation by Ken Ferrie at the recent CornSmart conference held recently at Guelph, Ont. Drawing conclusions from the 2012 growing season, Ferrie, an independent agronomist with Crop-Tech Consulting, ran through the seven key areas of corn production management where he feels farmers need… Read More

Rain or shine, drought or not, nitrogen is king when it comes to targeting the highest yields possible in corn. While it may not be a surprise that even in a dry year corn responds to added nitrogen, there’s still work to be done on the economic levels of that response with environmental stewardship in… Read More

Everyone has an aunt or an uncle or someone that uses “blanket” terminology. You know what I mean, they call blu rays and CD’s DVD’s or call all mp3 players “iPods”. We’re all guilty of it on some level, but the truth is terminology is important. Just ask Tony Vyn about using the terms “drought… Read More

Potassium is critical for in-plant water management, which means that adequate levels of the nutrient at various depths is a key component of how well a crop handles drought stress. While no one can accurately predict a drought, managing overall soil health and nutrient levels is a great way to add some drought risk management… Read More