Nashville, Tennessee
March 11, 2008
Despite record high soybean prices
and soaring fertilizer costs, Mike Missman of Woden, Iowa, made
a strong case for the profitability of corn-on-corn as one of
three panelists in a Learning Center Session on continuous corn
at the 2008 Commodity Classic in Nashville, Tennessee.
After nearly 30 years farming a corn-soybean rotation, Missman
upped his corn acreage in 2007 to capitalize on what he called
“huge” local demand from three operating ethanol plants, a feed
mill and a large egg farm – all within 25 miles of his Hancock
and Winnebago, Iowa farms.
Globally, growing demand for food and fuel is expected to keep
corn on an uptrend for years to come. Likewise, with another
ethanol plant and feed mill under construction, Missman said
local demand will continue to grow, and that’s why he’ll
continue to favor corn in his rotation.
“Our area of Northern Iowa produces first-year corn yields in
the neighborhood of 180 to 210 bushels per acre,” said Missman.
“If we can maintain those yields in corn-on-corn – which we’ve
found is very doable – then we’re still looking at a more
profitable scenario versus soybeans.”
Joined by Fred Below, crop physiologist with the University of
Illinois, and Bruce Battles, agronomy marketing manager with
Syngenta Seeds, Inc.,
Missman offered a grower’s eye view of corn-on-corn, emphasizing
seed selection and tillage management.
“Our strategy for corn-on-corn actually begins right after
soybean harvest,” said Missman. “For that first year following
soybeans, where we knew we’re going to be farming back-to-back
corn, we went with earlier varieties so we could harvest those
fields first and give the residue more time to decompose before
we hit it with fall tillage. The whole idea is to encourage
faster soil warm-up in the spring.”
To prepare fields for second-year corn, he chopped stalks and
followed with a V-ripper. Then, he added 40 units of N as urea
or ammonium sulfate to his plowdown to help decompose residue.
In the spring, he made another pass with a shallow disc and
field cultivator before planting.
“Dealing with residue is the biggest challenge in corn-on-corn,”
said Missman. “Last year, we traded up to Drago corn heads for
our combine and the job they did was just amazing.” He also
upgraded his planter with Sunco trash whippers.
When selecting seed for second-year corn, Missman said he looks
for hybrids with fast emergence, good root strength and
above-average plant health. “Corn-on-corn sits in the soil
longer,” he said, “so you want a good disease package, plus seed
treatments like Cruiser Extreme® 250 to combat secondary pests.
It takes more of the worry out of the way when you’re waiting
four or five weeks for the crop to emerge.”
After genetics comes traits. Missman said he’s been on the short
end of the stick with yield drag in the past. “With the
introduction of the new Agrisure® traits, I finally feel like I
have a chance to plant the right genetics with the right
traits,” he said.
For corn-on-corn, Missman planted hybrids with the Agrisure® RW
trait for corn rootworm control and the Agrisure GT trait for
glyphosate tolerance. “I am trying to break the glyphosate cycle
so I always use a pre-emergence herbicide on my corn, either in
the fall or the spring,” Missman said. This year, he plans on
using the new Agrisure 3000GT quad stack, which offers both
glyphosate tolerance and resistance to glufosinate (LIBERTY®)
herbicide in addition to protection from rootworms and corn
borers.
Using Agrisure traits also makes Missman eligible for the
AgriEdge® Corn Program, which matches seed selection with
Syngenta Crop Protection products and technology reinvestments.
Missman said he likes the program because “it gives us a chance
to plant the hybrid we want, use the herbicides and insecticides
we want, and have assurances that we’re only going to pay for
the technology we use.”
Missman concluded with a brief summary of his 2007 corn-on-corn
experience, saying, “This past spring we probably had the best
planting season I can remember. Temperatures warmed quickly,
planters were running from mid- to late-April, and a lot of corn
was planted before May 1st. A lot of corn-on-corn fields emerged
just as quickly as corn planted into soybean stubble. Who knows
what this spring will bring, but patience is a necessity in
these corn-on-corn fields.”
For more information on Agrisure traits, go to
www.agrisuretraits.com.
For more information on the AgriEdge Corn Programs, go to
www.agriedge.com.
Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to
sustainable agriculture through innovative research and
technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and
ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in
2007 were approximately $9.2 billion. Syngenta employs over
21,000 people in more than 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on
the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further
information is available at
www.syngenta.com.
Important: Always read and follow label instructions before
buying or using this (these) product(s).
Cruiser Extreme® 250 is a seed company-applied promotional
combination of four active ingredients that deliver 0.25 mg
ai/seed of Cruiser® (thiamethoxam) plus three fungicides: Apron
XL®, Maxim® XL and Dynasty®. Cruiser® insecticide is protected
by several pending patent applications and granted patents in
the U.S. and worldwide, including U.S. Patent Nos. 5852012 and
6844339.
AgriEdge®, Agrisure®, Apron XL®, Cruiser®, Cruiser Extreme®,
Dynasty® and Maxim® are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
LIBERTY® is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience. |
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