The curtain is closing pn
another season and it was
another learning experience
for most corn growers this
year. As this season draws to
an end, lets take time to take
one look back at some inter
esting events of 1998 and one
look to the future. v
First a look back. Although
we had a rough start, fortu
nately, for many it turned out
to be a good year after all.
This year reinforced one con
cept that I have grown to find
true corn can often over
come ugly conditions in the
early season to do rather
well. I saw one field where
part or the filed got all of its
nitrogen at planting, before
“the rain" in early May.
Another part of the field did
n't get any nitrogen until late
Rumbaugh Works On Leading Edge
(Continued from Pag* 18)
association, but on other
issues affecting farmers.
According to Roth, the
association today has three
main functions: to share pro-,
duction information, create
better com markets, and to
educate the public about
issues facing com growers.
The Pennsylvania associa
tion is an affiliate of the
National Com Growers
Association (NCGA). The
large, deep Kernels
• Responds well to high yield
|Hb4Hh management, but also tolerates
heat and drought stress well
Insect Protected Corn
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00-5PM, Saturday 8:00 AM -12 Noon
AgriPro* Is a Registered Trademark of AGRIPRO SEEDS, INC.,
P.O. Box 2962, Mission, KS 66201
ENNSYLVANIA MASTER
GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Between The Rows
Dr. Greg Roth
Penn State Agronomy Associate Professor
May.
In early June, the part of
the field that got nitrogen
was vigorous and dark green
and the later fertilized com
was pale and short.
When I returned in
August, I was surprised to
find the situation had com
pletely reversed, now the
com that got nitrogen after
the rain was tall and dark
green was going to win the
yield contest in the field.
The take-home message
don't let early season appear
ance totally dominate “your
management decisions. In
this case, the best option
probably would have been to
split the nitrogen into two
applications to get the best of
both works good early sea
son growth and late season
state association sponsors the
five-acre Corn Club that
receives about 150 entries
each year for its yield con
tests, and sponsors a couple
of conferences each year with
outside speakers.
About nine billion bushels
of com are grown in America
each year, Roth said. Of that
total, five billion bushels are
used for livestock feed, two
billion bushels are exported,
and about one billion bushels
nitrogen availability.
I was also impressed with
a number of examples of
appropriate and successful
uses of new technology. Here
are a few I saw this year.
One group we worked with
wanted to grow com with a
minimum of residual pesti
cides at the request of they
landlord. They killed an alfal
fa sod i the fall and followed
with Roundup Ready corn in
the spring. Weed pressure
was low and single Roundup
application and no insecticide
did the trick.
Another example I encoun
tered was when two of my
colleagues modified their
planter to have both a frame
mounted no-till coulter fol
lowed by row cleaners. The
result appeared to be great
are used for industrial pur
poses. Approximately 600
million bushels are used in
the production of ethanol,
which the association consid
ers to be a domestic, renew
able source of energy.
The state association has
310 members.
Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 10, 1998—Pago
stands in high residue fields
and more consistent success
than they had with the row
cleaners alone.
I took my own advice and
stuck a few Bt hybrids in one
of my late planted population
test plots along with several
good non-Bt hybrids. Corn
bore pressure in this field
was significant and the Bt
hybrids were showing their
trademark excellent stand-
ability while others were
lodging by late September.
And now for a look for
ward. The new plateau for
grain prices that some pre
dicted was on the horizon has
never materialized. In fact, it
appears we have gone to the
valley floor instead. Current
com prices will likely mean
some belt-tightening in the
season ahead.
As you go through the
though the thought process of
those things you are going to
cut back on, be careful.
Remember to still prioritize
those inputs that we know
are cost effective and have a
solid payback. Quality seed,
weed control, nitrogen, lime
and insecticide (where neces
sary) are fundamental inputs
to bank on. When investing
in new technology, put it to
work where you'll see the
biggest return.
Also look carefully at some
fixed cost decisions. Can
equipment be shared or used
for custom operation Can a
good servicing make equip
ment last another year before
replacement? Also look hard
at the economics on high
priced or low yielding ground.
Try to keep a positive atti
tude. Keep in mind that low
cost commodity producers are
those who generally prevail.
And remember, as I recently
saw on the Internet, the best
cure for low prices is low
prices.
61