Page 24-Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 22, 1997 Between The Rows (Continued from Page 1) Whether the discounts in the marketplace are fair is the sub ject of an ongoing controversy between grain buyers and sellers. Several studies have shown that low test weight coiji (under 50 pounds/bushel) will produce similar gains in beef feedlots or for fattening lambs compared to higher test weight com if fed on a weight basis. There appears to be a growing con cern in the dairy industry, how ever, that low test weight com may not work as well in dairy cow rations as it does in the feedlot. I am not aware of any con trolled studies, however, on this topic. Low test weight com is sometimes associated with mold problems so this makes grain buyers wary. Low test weight com can also influence transportation costs. A truck that holds 300 bushels of com at 54 pounds/bushel would be hauling 16,200 pounds of grain. If the grain were 50 pounds/ bushel, then you could only get on 15,000 pounds on the same truck. Low test weights arc usually caused poor kernel fill. In most cases this is caused because the crop did not reach physiologi cal maturity, This is often caused by frost before the crop is mature, but can also be caused by leaf or stalk diseases Technology That Yields" Do you simply want now technology? Or, do you want Taalmohigy That YtoUa 1 " products from Plonoor? BRAND PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA PIONEER CIBA Adjusted Gross Income calculated with the price of com at $3.00 per bushel and drying costs of $ .02 per point of moisture. Yield is represented in bushels/acre at 15.5% moisture. Data gathered from Northeastern yield comparisons. For specific plot information, see your local Pioneer sales rep. Pioneer® brand products are sold subject to the terms and conditions o( sale which are part of the labeling and sale documents Pioneer is a brand name numbers identify varieties and products ® TM Trademark and service mark registered or applied for of Pioneer Hv-Bred International Inc Des Moines lowa USA ©1997 Pioneer Hi Bred International Inc that cause premature death. Hybrids also vary in their inherent test weight because of the differences in the density of the grain. In a strip test we con ducted in northern Pennsylva nia this year, hybrids of the same maturity ranged for 48 to 53 pounds per bushel in the same field. Hybrids can also influence test weight by being too late for the area where they are planted. In one of my tests at Rock Springs in 1992, for example, a well-adapted 103-day hybrid had test weight of 55 pounds/ bushel, but when we changed to a full season 111-day hybrid our test weight fell to 52 pounds per bushel. Test weight can also be influenced by other manage ment practices, such as grain drying, but these effects are usually small. Some basic strategies are necessary to avoid low test weights. Start by considering only hybrids that arc adapted and will mature under most conditions in your area. Those hybrids that don’t usually reach black layer will be at risk in some years to produce low test weight com. Some growers appear to rely a bit too heavily on these full season corns that don’t usually mature before frost. When we get a cool year such as 1996, they dry down YIELD 202 3 178 0 HYBRID 3153 MAX4S4 192 4 171 9 3217 MAX4S4 184 8 172 0 3260 MAX4S4 176 4 160 7 3335 MAXBB 3335 MAX4S4 193 5 174 9 180 3 176 5 3346 MAX4S4 177 8 169 9 3394 MAX4S4 169 4 163 0 3437 MAX4S4 175 3 164 4 3476 MAX4S4 176 6 162 0 32K61 MAX4S4 /3g\ PIONEER. r%A J BRAND PRODUCTS INCJ INC J NO. ACRE UNIT ADV. COMP $564 $5lO MSI 26 1 22 0 $176 79 $175 12 $546 $492 23 7 22 1 $lOl 30 $530 $499 21 9 20 4 $ll6 92 $504 $469 22 1 194 $175 64 $554 $5OO 22 3 22 4 $32 62 $504 $494 25 9 25 6 $95 53 $5ll $482 21 7 23 7 $B7 87 $492 $465 20 5 22 9 $513 $472 $133 49 19 3 22 0 $129 17 $5lO $470 21 1 20 3 slow and have low test weight. Try to limit yourself to 20 per cent of your crop in this full sea son category. Test weights real ly get low when these full sea son varieties are planted late. When we delayed planting our full season com in 1992 until May 20, the test weight dropped to 48 pounds. Granted, 1992 was a cool year, but it illustrates what can happen. Switching to earlier hybrids from these full season hybrids is critical when planting is delayed. Also, do what you can to avoid planting late. Another strategy is to screen your adapted hybrids carefully for test weight. I know several com producers who sacrifice a little yield potential to select hybrids with exceptional test weight. They believe it is important to develop a reputa tion as a quality grain supplier and this reputation offsets any lost production. If all else fails, and you still end up with low test weight com, then you’ll need to identify markets when the effects of the test weight on price and production will be small. In summary, low test weight can be a problem, but it can often be avoid ed through a strategy of timely planting, hybrid selection, and marketing. Hybrids that are too late will often get killed by frost before they mature, resulting in low test weight corn. diD <@> dig) diD) dsj) (§3J) dig) dig) SONES || GRAIN g Munc y> PA (HD _ 717-584-2282 H ds|) AFFORDABLE QUALITY <llD<@)@)dlD(@)@)ds?)@)dß)d^)dlDdiDdlDdO)dlDdi?)dlDdll)dl& IT’S TIME TO GO - (GSI) COMPLETE LINE OF TOP-QUALITY GRAIN DRYERS TURING TECHNIQUES HAMMER MILLS for Grinding High Moisture ./'"■"'V & Dry Grains hvjahrer 0 Grinds Finer than Roller Mills. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers