Which corn?

Hi guys,
Do any of you guys plant Dekalb corn? If so what number or type do you recommend for picking it with a 2 row picker, cribbing it and then in the spring shelling it out and hauling it in? The Picker has a 12 roll husking bed. This is on 15 acres in central Minnesota. Is it too risky to plant 102 RM corn in this area? The 95/96 Rm corn does ok in plots, but you get into the 102 and up they really make a yeild jump. Or being I'm cribbing the corn can I get away with a longer maturing corn? Thanks for all of your advice.

Talk to your seed dealer for their recommendation. Differences in seed, end use, area, and climate will affect your crop. Some hybrids will do better on some types of soil than others. Your local dealer should be knowledgable enough to help you out for your area.

I planted 4 acres and am picking it now, located in central MN. I bought the seed from Mimbach Fleet in St. Cloud. They recommended a 90 day maturity conventional hybrid #30J190, a link is listed below. They have RR too, but I cultivated and didn't spray so I went conventional. I'm getting a good yield, on heavy black dirt. I think it was about $250 for the two bags of seed, with some discount for pre-paying.
Johnson Seed Co. 30J190

Dekalb - the numbers I've tried here in southwern MN - like to dry down very fast, and shellin the header pretty bad.

I have better luck with a local seed company, andersons out of St. Peter area. Their corn tends to stay a tad wetter, but holds onto the strong stalk, and doesn't shell as bad. However, not sure what maturaty you need up there, I'd be scared going over 100 days on a normal year?

--->Paul

I seems like I am pulling teeth to get a recomendation for seed type. I don"t know if they"re worried I will seriously ask for a gaurantee for 300 bushel or what. I know the place I get my seed from deals with Dekalb. I just thought maybe someone happened to plant it in my area and could recommend a number. Thanks guys.

I don't want to yank you around, but areas are different. I'm in the mid Atlantic Piedmont. Hybrids on the eastern shore don't do as well here, but ony about 50 miles distant. Plus, your end use- silage, picking and shelling- can make a difference in what hybrid you select. Look at test results, show plots, and field days, then pick out what you think will work best for you. Talk to your neighbors, and find out what is working for them. There are so many hybrids, so many traits and types, that, armed with the best data and information, it's a real crap shoot at best. What did great this year, may be the worst next year. Try to plant three different hybrids, take your best shot, and hope for the best. That's some of the fun of farming!

Label said it is conventional corn at the top, but then says it is glyphosate and glufosinate traited. Which is it.

They might be thinking it's regular (conventional) field corn, not special for silage, ethanol, or oil types?

If it's traited for both chrmicals, it shoulda cost a bit, havre any insect resistance bred into it?

--->Paul

Planted all high-priced Dekalb this year and emergence in this particular location could be very poor(Central Illinois). Seed dealer told me he had several upset larger farmers. Some area's were completely bare; the refuge was better than the BT traited stuff. Estimate the bare spots cost final yield average 1-2 bu/acre. Suffered thru a very dry year so not surprised if the majority of the acres which had roughly 10-15 thousand population/acre wouldn't have yielded any better if the planted/anticipated 34 thousand/acre population had actually emerged/grown. Estimate 30% had the planted/anticipated population. About 50% harvested with a yield around 120 bu/acre. The worst is already harvested so this estimate could be 10 bu/acre low, or if I'm wrong on the harvested acreage; 5 bu/acre too high. If we and the vast majority would have had decent weather and therefore crop prices had plummented to $4-5/bu this would have been a bad situation. But with cash corn at $7.50+/bu, crop returns look pretty good. Not near what 200 bu/acre at $7.50 would bring, but only a few luckly ones that got decent rains and those with irrigation are shoveling this gold. Wouldn't plant it again unless I received an iron clad guarantee that emergence would be as advertised or that someone other than me would ante up the $ difference between the actual yield and the 200 bu/acre expectation multiplied by the cash corn price. Not likely this will happen, so no Dekalb next year and also unwilling to "forgive and forget" for a few free bags of seed. Wasn't short season corn.

I heard of that around here too with Dekalb - poor random emergence. I only plant 10 bags of it, didn't notice on my plot, but heard of that with some numbers from others.

--->Paul

Never trust a salesman. Talk to an agonimist. I go to my local coop and review data from their test plot / field day with the resident agronomy guy and go from there. They have all the soil maps and can help point you in the right direction. They have the best side by side comparisons of any I have been able to find. They plant a bunch of brands with a wide range of maturity. They will even pencil out the profit per acre on each varity that I am interested it. The one the yields the most isn"t always the best choice, if it is high in moisture at harvest it may cost more in drying costs or delay harvest late into the fall. I prefer my coop agronimist because he doesn"t make his money only selling seed.

I plant for silage and extra this year is being picked for high moisture ear corn and the best of the four varieties for yield has been there eb90rr and you wont find it in there sales brochure it there economy brand seed. Think it will average150 bushels an acre and I am in upstate ny and i have found the 90 to 95 outperform the 100 plus most years. Tried a stacked 105 day once ears were short corn was 11 plus feet tall and did not dry down to chop untill mid October. Would have never made grain or ear corn

I can't give you advice on variety since I am from southern Illinois. If you want to plant Dekalb, do it. Some have said it struggled this year. In this area they all struggled to make 25 bpa. We have had Dekalb outpreform three other companies consistently for four years on our farm excluding this year. I'm not going to compare anyone this year on my farm because it was all crap. A reliable Dekalb dealer will be your best bet for this information. Good luck.