By Alton Homan
Bradford Co. Extension Agent
TOWANDA - Farmers are
taking a serious look at all their
crop management practicg§ for
1986 And well they should, with
record crop yields, huge carryover
supplies, and disaster level prices
this fall
The farm sector of our economy
has borne a major burden as a
result of national economic
policies, as well as international
trade policies and surpluses of
major farm commodities
Some keys to farming success
may well be 1 fine tuning
financial management, 2 top
profit yields on all planted acres,
and 3 careful use of government
programs In a nutshell, sharp
managers will not just cut costs
without realizing production and
profit may be cut as well Such
items as high quality seed, crop
protection materials, and optimum
fertilizer rates should be main
tained An across-the-board cut of
inputs would lower your individual
yields and raise your cost per ton
Some farmers ask, T didn’t
seem to get hurt by fertilizer
cutbacks in 1985, can I do it again
in 1986 9 ” At this point I’d have to
For Yield, Quality, Persf
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say, don’t push your luck Timely
planting and adequate ram helped
make 1985 a good growing season
Yields may have been higher if
fertilizer rates were higher These
higher crop yields may have been
reduced built up soil fertility
enough to drastically reduce yields
if fertilizer rates are cut again
Weather may not cooperate as well
in 1986 The best guide, of course, is
to soil test to determine residual
levels, especially if the field is
frequently manured
Another aspect is a similar
question such as, “Can I afford
much fertilizer with $2 corn” 9 My
assessment is yes' Grain prices
have a less than usually expected
effect on optimum fertlizer rates
for maximum economic yields A
study shows that the optimum
nitrogen rate drops only 9 lbs /acre
with 15/lb nitrogen (like
anhydrous ammonia), 22 lbs /acre
with ,30/lb. nitrogen when corn
prices drop from $3 to $2.
Even if you feel you lost money
with $2 corn, you’ll lose less if you
shoot for the lowest cost per bushel
or ton
You need to realize that
maximum economic yeilds don’t
guarantee profitable production
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Fertilizing in tough times
Perhaps it would be better for a
dairyman or livestock producer
with a low crop production
capability or small livestock unit
to purchase corn
Another point of view may be
necessary before planting next
year, that of your lender if money
needs to be borrowed A smart
lender avoids the “we’ll give you
only $lO,OOO for 1986 approach"
Progressive lenders will loan
whatever it takes to produce crops
at the lowest cost per bushel or ton
As a result, you avoid “saving"
that last $l,OOO of fertilizer which
may cut yields by $4,000
But planning the fertility
program is a crucial part of a high
profit farming operation Ap
proach it by analyzing 1 soil test
level, 2 prior crop removal, 3 soil
residual goal, 4 crop production
goal
One question in the past has
been, “How do I get my lender to
listen” 9 One way is a good set of
accurate records. A request for
money to purchase planting needs
simply by stating you need money
to get your planting done may not
suffice Go to your lender to tell
him 1 why you want the money, 2
how you are going to use it, 3 how
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and when you’re going to pay it
back, 4 what you’ll do if something
goes wrong with the base plan
If you have been a member of the
5 Acre Corn of the Alfalfa Growers
program, you already may have
all the proof you need with
itemized expenses, yields and
profits Also, if you are a member
of a Crop Management
Association, records could easily
support your request for a loan
Remember, if the decision has
been made to plant in 1986, input
Seedway unveils Todd 7800
HALL, NY - Seedway, Inc.
announces the introduction of Todd
7800, a main season single cross
hybrid corn variety, adapted to 116
day or 2600 growing degree day
areas, of the northeastern United
States. Todd 7800 is a result of the
most recent technology in hybrid
com development. The company
has evaluated the new hybrid over
several growing seasons at several
locations, and found the new
variety a consistently high yielder
with good standability.
Todd 7800 was selected as the
comparison hybrid for research
strip trials conducted at 12 sites
throughout MD, PA, NJ, and NY
by Seedway. These large scale
machine planted and harvested
trials compare new introductions
with commercially available in
dustry leaders, and new material
not yet released by the company.
7800 was planted at locations ap
propriate to its maturity. It
outyielded all competitive hybrids
with yields up to 183 bu./acre and
average harvest moisture of 25.7
percent. Stalk breakage averaged
less than 4 percent at sites in
Fruitland, MD, Ridgley, MD, and
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cost cutting could reduce profits or
increase losses. Few farmers
doubled fertilizer rates when
prices went up, so think twice
about cutting them in half when
prices are down
Price
$ bu
3 00
2 50
2 00
Buckingham, PA.
Introductory quantities of seed
were available to Seedway dealers
during the past growing season,
where it was planted in 10 dealer
corn demonstration plots. 7800
averaged 164.2 in bu./acre over the
ten sites. Good standability and
consistently high yields recom
mend it to northeast corn growers.
For more information, contact
the company at 717-966-3841 or 717-
764-9814.
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