Sweet corn, N. Michigan, and Avipel

I posted awhile back about losing all my sweet corn and having to replant, over and over. Somebody suggested treating the seed with Avipel. I tried and kind of gave up. I just replanted for the third time. I still do not know what is taking all the corn just as it emerges.

We had the same problem last year but not quite as bad. We planted twice and the 2nd time had two radios in the field blasting rock music 24 hours a day, plus plastic netting over the corn (expensive and a real pain to put and get off).

This year besides our normal field that has four strands of electric solar fence, we have a "test patch" that has real fencing that nothing bigger then a chipmunk can get into unless it has wings. Same problem. We have marker sticks about 5 feet high at the ends of each row. Oddly any corn near those sticks is fine and is now near 12" tall. All else has been totally removed. No sign of anything.

I asked around last year and this year at local dealers about Avipel and got nowhere. So last week I contacted the company that makes it. They told me to buy it in the state of Michigan, I should contact the MSU (Michigan State University). So I did and their resident "ag expert" never even heard of Avipel, but said he would research it. He finally got back to me and gave me the name of one dealer in my area who sells it. I then called up that dealer and he said the MSU is "full of it" and he has never even heard of Avipel. So, I said the "heck with it" and just replanted for the third time and hoping for the best. Last year, as the season got later (like now), the problem went away. I assume whatever is doing the damage got bored and moved on to something else?

Note we are in a very rural area with a mix of large ag farms and woods and swamps. Huge corn, potato, and bean fields around. As to our corn damage - I suspect sandhill cranes since there are a bunch nesting in my swamp nearby. I have never seen them in our field yet though.

HAve you considered a trail cam? They are not all that expensive. At least then you would know who is eating your corn.

I don't know where all the Crop Production Services (CPS) locations are in Michigan,but they're big. They have it at the main warehouse in Michigan,I know that for sure. The location in Greenville keeps it in stock. I walked right in and bought it this year,just like always.

I have the same problem and it turns out to be crows! If it is crows, you will find the corn seedlings pulled up and the residual seed on the bottom plucked off. they only eat the seed, not the plant. There are a couple of easy remedies, You only need to shoot one and either spread it out on the ground or hang it from a pole. The rest of crows will avoid it like the plague. Another thing I did was to draw a silhouette of a crow on black plastic and splayed it out on the ground , they didn't like that either.
My dad used to use a seed coating called Crow Jinx. It slowed up the germination some but it worked well. I've tried and tried to find it but it apparently is no longer produced. I believe it was a tar or creosote based product.... I can still smell the odor of that stuff.
Hope this helps.

I have the same problem and it turns out to be crows! If it is crows, you will find the corn seedlings pulled up and the residual seed on the bottom plucked off. they only eat the seed, not the plant. There are a couple of easy remedies, You only need to shoot one and either spread it out on the ground or hang it from a pole. The rest of crows will avoid it like the plague. Another thing I did was to draw a silhouette of a crow on black plastic and splayed it out on the ground , they didn't like that either.
My dad used to use a seed coating called Crow Jinx. It slowed up the germination some but it worked well. I've tried and tried to find it but it apparently is no longer produced. I believe it was a tar or creosote based product.... I can still smell the odor of that stuff.
Hope this helps.

That is crow modus operandi, for sure. I had a problem in our garden with crows one year, found out that if you put string up, they will not land below it. Doesn't have to be covered 100%.

Avipel is labeled for sandhill cranes,but it works on all birds. The exception is geese,but they don't eat the seed,they keep eating the plant off short until the seed just runs out of energy.

figure out what is taking your corn and treat for such a thing!!...its not that hard

Yes, I have had crow damage in the past and they usually just took the seed off the corn plant and spit the rest out. With this situation, I am finding nothing left behind. We certainly have crows, ravens, and sandhill cranes around. Have not yet actually seen one taking corn. But we are not there all the time.

40 years ago I used to buy a product called "Crow Chex" to treat seed. It worked great but got pulled off the market. For all I know, this modern "Avipel" may be the same thing.

I drive past a lot of huge farms. I might just have to knock on someone's door and ask if they use Avipel, and if so, where the heck they get it.

I have two trail cams. Just keep forgetting to bring them over. We live in three different places and have not made our usual summer-move to where the corn is. We are still in another place 40 miles away because I am trying to finish a project here.

I'd use more sticks.

I had the problem this year. Planted three times and every stalk was gone. Geese were coming in early every morning and completely destroyed. Not one stalk left.

Geese are easy. Shoot one in the presence of others and leave it lie. Fast learners.

had same problem when I was a kid in MI. We had planted five acres by hand was just starting to come up. Came home from school and found about twenty crows in field. Ran and got .22 got one rest never came back .damage was done got enough corn for one meal.