Page 30—Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13,1993 Grower’s Experience: Prevent Compaction, Improve Corn Yields ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.) Clarence Keener believes com growing and harvesting equipment is too heavy and the chances for compaction are greater than farmers realize. Dealing with compaction problems on his 80-acre farm (in addition to another 120 he rents) allowed him to harvest the most amount of com he’s ever seen on his farm 211 bushels and made him tops in the state in the large acre size shelled com class from the Pen nsylvania Master Com Grow ers Association Five Acre Com Club. Keener will be honored with the award at the Pennsylvania Com Conference, scheduled March 2 at the Ramada Inn in West Middlesex. At an interview at his farm, Keener, who has farmed for 32 years, outlined the major char acteristics that went into achieving the highest yields in the state for the class. Using subsoiler “What has helped me in the last few years is going into deep tillage, using what they call a V-ripper,“ said Keener. “That was one of the contributing fac tors in being able to break the 200-bushel yield.” All his life Keener has dreamed of being able to harvest more than 200 acres. A combination of choosing the right seed, preventing compac tion, and the right growing con ditions (nearly ideal in the southeastern part of the state in 1992) garnered him the recognition. Keener met with Wilmer Nissley, a Pioneer seed rep resentative based in Mount Joy. Keener selected Pioneer 3245, which the salesman and Keener believed would do well on the farm, considering the Hagerstown-Duffield loam soil type as well as the growing con ditions and soil fertility. ‘ ‘ It was com that was planted into a field that hasn’t had com on it for 5-6 years,” said Keen er. “It had been sod, and there fore that’s one of the contribut ing factors.” Prevented compaction Keener said the sod allowed the soil to aerate and organic matter to work down in. Also, keeping the heavy equipment, including tractors, wagons, bins, and combines off the field as much as possible, prevented compaction, which has been proved to decrease com yields. Using a subsoiler, in this case, a V-ripper, has proven effective. But the weather con ditions the past fall weren’t ide al for subsoiling, considering the wet and cool conditions. According to Keener, the ground must be as dry as possi ble. ‘ ‘To rip well, it has tO'be fit > - for planting type of tillage,’ ’ he said. The field numbered “5” on careful records kept by the com grower was a 10-acre parcel. The ground, worked by minimum tillage, had com planted the last week of April. Harvesting took place late in October. Alleviate compaction Regarding the problems of compaction, Keener said that more of it takes place on conti nuous com than it does on a rotation, “because alfalfa and so forth and some of the other crops with their rooting sys tems will help alleviate com paction,” he said. Also, working closely with Pioneer, and choosing a good variety and obtaining soil sam ples on a regular basis, in addi tion to seeding the right popula tion at the right planting date, also helped. Keener noted that his farm ing operation didn’t use any animal manure since 1974. (Until that date. Keener raised steers on the farm, and now raises entirely cash crops.) Observe practices Keener said a few years ago he won the National Com Growers Association award for state yields. He was invited out to Indiana to tour seed plants and to observe other cultural farming practices. One thing Keener learned is ST. LOUIS, Mo. Com growers will quiz the experts about their expectations for com prices in 1993 and beyond during the upcoming Com Classic. A trio of marketing sessions will examine market highs and lows, offer crystal ball fore casts, and delve into a variety of marketing techniques to max imize profit potential. The National Com Growers Association’s 35th annual Com Classic will be Feb. 21-23 in San Antonio, Texas. More than 2,500 registrants are expected to attend. On Monday, early risers can participate in a sunrise market ing session sponsored by Doane Agricultural Services Co. In a mini-classroom set ting, expert Jack Tower will discuss ways to customize gen eral marketing strategies. He’ll also answer questions about pricing fundamentals. Noted ag economist John Marten will lead two Tuesday morning breakout sessions called “Prices, Production, and Politics in 1993.” He’ll provide €®3M TAM HEWS ’ENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC. Clarence Keener, Manhelm, was honored by the Five-Acre Corn Club for a harvest on a3+ acre corn size totalling about 211 bushels per acre. This photo shows the origi nal homestead, built in 1859, of which a family room was added about eight years ago Photo by Andy Andrews. the way Midwest farmers handle compaction. There, they do not follow the same rows when discing or chisel plowing in the fall. Farmers in Pennsyl vania, on the other hand, tend to aggravate compaction by fol lowing the same rows as the planter or combine. In the Mid west, they disc and chisel dia gonally from the rows keep ing away from the same tracks as the combine. By going off row and working diagonally, the areas under compaction stress are not recompacted For Keener, the contest itself encourages com growers to “become involved on your cost of production,” he said. “It’s not only the yield, it’s what your cost of production is.” Corn Growers To Debate Key Issues an insider’s view of market trends and take his best shot at predicting which way com prices will go. Marten’s presen tation will cover the nuts and bolts of making market predic tions. Marten’s appearance is sponsored by Farm Journal. The first session begins at 9 a.m. and repeats at 10:45 a.m. Rounding out the trio of marketing sessions is a special V. A. Ishler Dairy and Animal Science Extension Some increase in problems with feed intake, production, and health may result this year from mold that developed on the com silage while the crop was in the field or during stor age when ensiled at below nor mal moisture levels due to delays in harvesting. Consider able amounts of mold may depress energy content by five percent and reduce feed intake. Tuesday afternoon presentation by the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). “Don’t Just Sell Your Grain: Market Your Grain” covers the how-to’s of trading through cash, futures, and option markets as well as gov ernment programs. It features CBOT education specialist Jeff Campbell. The session begins at 1:30 p.m. Participation in the market ing sessions is included in the Com Classic registration fee. Other If any of these symptoms occur, the suspect forage should be sampled and sent for a mycotoxin screen. Do not sample only the moldy portions of the feed, since mycotoxins are usually present in samples Yields differ Keener cautioned that far mers must be careful in consid ering what varieties of com they choose, because yields will differ according to site specific conditions. Varieties differ to how they handle diffe rent types of weather condi tions and plant and disease stress. Also, farmers should be care ful to choose different varieties and an array of planting dates. ‘‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,’ ’ he said. “You have to use three or four different num bers so you can average out.” Winning awards such as these allows Keener to meet with different farmers from around the state and country to exchange information and At Classic Corn Problems If mycotoxins produced by mold are present in appreciable quantities, production ’ may drop drastically, animals may go off-feed, and increases may occur in acetonemia, displaced abomasum, diarrhea, hemor raging, infertility, and infection. improving yield and profit goals. “The incentive to win ning I think is competing on a farm-to-farm basis, to see how you compare tillage practices and looking at it from an overall program and see whether you’re producing com on a cost-per-bushel basis compared to the other fanners in the con test,” he said. But in managing his own crops, more important is to keep abreast of different variet ies, which he does in field test plots. “Before I choose a varie ty, I’d like to see how it does on my farm. “Since I have achieved my goal of more than 200 bushels, I’ll have to set my goals even higher with the new technology and new varieties.” All sessions will be held at the San Antonio Convention Center. In addition to providing a wide range of educational opportunities, Com Classic fea tures an extensive trade show. It also includes an evening of entertainment by country music stars Crystal Gayle and Lionel Cartwright. To register for Com Classic, call NCGA at (314) 275-9915. that exhibit no visable signs of mold. Once the level and type of mycotoxin(s) are deter mined, appropriate recommen dations can be made. The variability observed in com silage is also showing up in high-moisture com. There has been a tendency for lower protein values, and because com did not dry down properly, there will be more variation in moisture content.
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