I've looked thru some old postings about this, but I'd like to find out if I'm looking at this correct. I planted 4 acres of corn and picked it on the ear. I filled filled my 15.5' diameter wire crib 6' high, and piled up a few feet high in the center, plus I have 1/2 a gravity flow wagon that didn't go in the crib. I estimate that there is about 1300 cubic ft of ear corn total. It's very dry, probably 14% or lower.
If ear corn weighs 28lbs/cu.ft, I should have 36400 lbs. 36400 lbs divided by 70 lbs/bushel, should mean I have 520 bushel of ear corn. I get the same number of bushels if I divide 1300 cu.ft by 2.5.
So... Is the amount of kernels in 520 bushels of ear corn equivalent to 520 bushels of shelled corn? Or, if I shelled out what's in the crib, it should be about the same as two wagon loads shelled? (250 bushel gravity flow.) 520bu. x 56 equals 29120 lbs shelled corn.
Last Fall I bought a wagon load of shelled corn from our renter and weight was 13500 lbs, or 240 bushel. That was enough for me to fatten my 5 steers, give a little to the mama cows, with some left over. So at that rate, my 520 bushels of ear corn should be enough to last me two years. If that's true, then I can plant my 4 acre field into alfalfa & oats next year, and plow down a 4 year old 5 acre alfalfa field next fall for picking corn two years from now.
For crop yield then, looks like I'm at 130 bu./acre. Now, I was losing some ears ahead of the gathering chains, and there was a fair amount of shelling too, so maybe the actual could have been closer to 10% higher, maybe 140 bu./acre? Not bad I guess considering it's conventional hybrid and I didn't spray, just cultivated every week. 36" rows, planted too thick, about 35000 population.
So our renter combined about half the farm two weeks ago, and told me, while we were discussing rent price, that they were getting 150 bu./acre. Narrow rows, Pioneer RR corn, fertilized heavy & sprayed, and soil mapped & fertilized last fall for about $350/acre to get the minerals & pH balanced. I think they're pulling my leg. If my field is around 140 bu., they gotta be well over 200, wouldn't they?
If ear corn weighs 28lbs/cu.ft, I should have 36400 lbs. 36400 lbs divided by 70 lbs/bushel, should mean I have 520 bushel of ear corn. I get the same number of bushels if I divide 1300 cu.ft by 2.5.
So... Is the amount of kernels in 520 bushels of ear corn equivalent to 520 bushels of shelled corn? Or, if I shelled out what's in the crib, it should be about the same as two wagon loads shelled? (250 bushel gravity flow.) 520bu. x 56 equals 29120 lbs shelled corn.
Last Fall I bought a wagon load of shelled corn from our renter and weight was 13500 lbs, or 240 bushel. That was enough for me to fatten my 5 steers, give a little to the mama cows, with some left over. So at that rate, my 520 bushels of ear corn should be enough to last me two years. If that's true, then I can plant my 4 acre field into alfalfa & oats next year, and plow down a 4 year old 5 acre alfalfa field next fall for picking corn two years from now.
For crop yield then, looks like I'm at 130 bu./acre. Now, I was losing some ears ahead of the gathering chains, and there was a fair amount of shelling too, so maybe the actual could have been closer to 10% higher, maybe 140 bu./acre? Not bad I guess considering it's conventional hybrid and I didn't spray, just cultivated every week. 36" rows, planted too thick, about 35000 population.
So our renter combined about half the farm two weeks ago, and told me, while we were discussing rent price, that they were getting 150 bu./acre. Narrow rows, Pioneer RR corn, fertilized heavy & sprayed, and soil mapped & fertilized last fall for about $350/acre to get the minerals & pH balanced. I think they're pulling my leg. If my field is around 140 bu., they gotta be well over 200, wouldn't they?