Soil type, water availability, hybrid choice, plant population and crop nutrients are just some of the factors growers have to consider when pursuing a high-yielding corn crop on their farm.
On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, we catch up with Aaron Stevanus as he shares how these factors are evaluated at the Stevanus Family Farm at Bloomingdale, Ont. During his career, Stevanus has worked as a seed agronomist and in the crop nutrition industry before returning to the family farm where he also runs a Pioneer seed dealership. Back on the farm, he’s now using all his experience to produce optimum crop yield across a farm with variable soil types that often misses timely rains and suffers from moisture stress.
Stevanus emphasizes the importance of understanding soil variability, particularly water availability, and using soil, water and topography maps — more commonly know as SWAT Maps — to optimize crop nutrition and hybrid selection. When it comes to hybrid choice, he’s been running trials to determine how hybrid flex could help manage the farm’s variable soil. In the video, he shares a trial that demonstrates how soil types and plant populations can impact the productivity of different hybrids, including a 38-bushel yield spread for the same hybrid planted at 26,000 versus 38,000 in a sandy area of the farm.
Stevanus also highlights the need for efficient phosphorus uptake and the importance of getting more phosphate into the plant. He shares how zinc can improve phosphate uptake and root growth; and how granular technology can be used to create uniform nutrient distribution to ensure each plant receives optimal nutrition. Watch the video below.
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