$14.50 Corn

How many corn growers are getting $14.50 a bushel for their corn this year?Well in an article in Lancaster Farming Perdue Ag the big poultry growing outfit is paying that price for organically grown corn in the Delmarva area and can't get enough.They even listed a phone number in the article for the folks to call at Perdue to get help setting up growing organic corn.I guess that puts Perdue Ag in the group with the crazies that want organic grown?

No no, not crazies. If you have a customer with big money, they want a certain item you can provide, they are not crazies, they are Sir and M'am. As in "Yes Sir." and "Yes M'am."

Supply and demand. There are folks willing to pay a premium for "non-GMO" poultry. And there are savvy businessmen who see money to be made by servicing that market. No different than, say kosher or halal meat. Is it better for you? It doesn't matter, because the customer wants it and is willing to pay accordingly.

Organic chickens are selling dressed for $15 here.

Here in MA where we have lots of Monsanto haters and organic lovers a few farmers I know are paying $17.50 for organic non-gmo corn that is coming from somewhere in the west. They also are having a hard time getting a steady supply of that. I also know of a few growers in the area who are raising soybeans and corn on a large scale for MA, 100 acres or so, that is organic or non-gmo to capitalize on this demand. I work with famers for my 9-5 and to be honest if you grow in the midwest I would start growing non-gmo and shipping it east. The earthy crunchy save the world types out here are willing to pay top dollar for meat & eggs raised on non-gmo feed. This is a large consumer group and I see this as a growing trend in the state of MA.

Well look at it this way. If I grow organic corn here in MN I would need $14 a bushel to compare to $4 conventional corn. Organic yield is half of conventional. You spend many times the production costs of conventional corn in tillage and cultivating. There is also the issue of severe soil erosion on hilly land from all the cultivation. Your weed seed bank steadily increases every year making your yields drop yearly from the weed competition. Nitrogen can be fixed with legumes but P and K do not come from the sky and must be hauled in or you are simply mining out your soil. When the organic fad went thru here 15 years ago a few jumped on. Within five years they couldn't grow anything but short weeds because of severe soil nutrient depletion. Needless to say there are no organic farmers left around here, organic gardeners yes but no large scale farmers. And lastly the cost to transport to the east cost would be large.

I think your answers the best.i go organic because i got mixed up with thimet by accident and it wasnt good.also after exposure to chemicals in a factory i have to leave certian foods alone .it maybe that they have no choice but be organic i know several people that way.its the same as some people that cannot drink cows milk but goats milk is a little differnt an they can drink that

Like MN Scott said, on my place I would have erosion ditches form in the back rolling fields from all the tillage. I have to restrict tillage on my place. I like the concept and if I could do it and keep costs down I would be willing to try it. But how do you get nutrients back into the soil with organic? Manure? I grew field corn this year for the first time in a long time and on a larger scale than I have in the past. It confirmed for me something I already knew...corn is a heavy feeder. I am going to have a hard time getting enough cow manure to keep it going. There is a huge dairy nearby but they are also one of the largest landowners in the county and they use the manure. Just get downwind of one of their fields on the wrong day! So excessive costly tillage is a problem, lower yield is a problem, nutrient management is a problem. Are they sending a truck? Because if I have to ship it, even locally, that is also an issue. Or do I sell it to the elevator at 50% and then he gets the $14.50? Happy to do it, but I have to eat too and I won't be affording any organic chickens with my bottom line. It's bad enough now!

Is there a test to determine if a bushel of corn is GMO or not? Would a buyer be able to tell the difference?

My nephew grew a small patch of organic soybeans last year about 25 acres. He had about $1200 invested in seed and fuel and oil etc. he cultivated them 3 times. Didn"t count his time because he is retired. We had a very dry summer that year and his yield was about 1000 bushels. He sold them for about 24 dollars a bushel. Of course he had to walk them too. I think he did pretty good. The rest of the 160 acre hobby farm is in hay and pasture.

(quoted from post at 07:05:12 08/08/14) Is there a test to determine if a bushel of corn is GMO or not? Would a buyer be able to tell the difference?

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You have to be certified to be organic. Now it varies state to state on the exact rules but most states they can come in and inspect anytime they wish. I'm sure they can only buy from certified growers. Organic dairy near here. Guy has to have organic grain delivered if he runs short from more than 90 miles away.

Rick

I've heard of $6 for organic oats here. My conventional chemical farm grown oats are down in the $2 to $3 range but pretty sure mine yield higher than organic.

Sometimes think farmers forget why they are farming. I hope profit is the main reason. If a farmer wants to do the extra work and expenses of being organic for customers willing to pay more. Why not? Why beat them up over how they farm?

(quoted from post at 12:58:21 08/08/14) How many corn growers are getting $14.50 a bushel for their corn this year?Well in an article in Lancaster Farming Perdue Ag the big poultry growing outfit is paying that price for organically grown corn in the Delmarva area and can't get enough.They even listed a phone number in the article for the folks to call at Perdue to get help setting up growing organic corn.I guess that puts Perdue Ag in the group with the crazies that want organic grown?

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I may be screwing up but I threw my name in the hat on growing some non GMO corn. There is a guy a couple of towns over that grinds heirloom corn and such for people that are glucose intolerant but he has to go way up north and bring it back. He was looking for a local supplier and I said I would grow it and sell it to him. I grow corn yearly anyway and if he is wanting to pay big bucks for it,why not? Plus it helps that I do not depend on the corn for my main income...any profit is supplemental income.

At 14.50 a bushel, you can be sure they are sequencing the DNA on at least random samples, probably every truckload. Note that if they find a single kernel of GMO in their silo, that whole silo is now GMO and suddenly worth whatever the market price is for GMO corn. And any chickens that have been fed that grain are now Plain Old Ordinary Chickens (POOCs).

Dave,
You do a crop rotation and plant a cover crop every fall behind either the soy beans or wheat, rye, oats etc. The cover crop mix will help to replace nutrients into the ground. Some mixes will put up to 4 tons of green "manure" back into the ground each spring when you plow. You can also use approved organic ferilizer from approved sources.

Yes, I have read about that. My daughter picked up all that at Michigan State and brought me home a lot of interesting stuff on cover crops. I will be planting strips this fall to hold the soil in place on some of the hills. This adds to the cost, of course, but I think cover crops are a good plan at times even with conventional cropping. I would have to think the fertilizers are expensive though. Anytime you put "organic" on a label the cost goes up. Just random thoughts. Like I said, I am in favor of the concept of using as little chemical as possible. Just not sure it needs to go all the way to NO chemicals. I am also not sure that somewhere, somehow we are missing the boat and shooting ourselves in the foot.

First off there is a lot of land that shouldn't be planted to row crops period.Most chemical/industrial corn growers add 5 or 6 minerals to the soil at best when I apply Kelp,
Planters II and Neptune's Harvest(fish/kelp blend foliar feeder) I'm adding 20 or 30 major and minor elements to the land.Cover crops like Crimson Clover add N plus organic matter incorporated into the soil.With Whole Foods planning on doubling their number of stores and companies like Perdue getting into organic production its hardly a 'fad'.

For me it is simply a niche market thing that will allow me to farm relitivly small acrage while using my old equipment and still make a profit. (hopefully) There is growing market on both a wholesale and retail level. Stores are looking for shelf displays for organic and hierloom seeds. And especially south of you there is a large and growing market for many ot these items.

(quoted from post at 07:22:01 08/08/14) I've heard of $6 for organic oats here. My conventional chemical farm grown oats are down in the $2 to $3 range but pretty sure mine yield higher than organic.

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Thing is there if he (organic farmer) gets 2/3rds of you yield he's still making more per acre. Now if everyone went organic or at lease non GMO all at the same time prices would drop like a rock. Specialty market.

Rick

(quoted from post at 04:58:21 08/08/14) How many corn growers are getting $14.50 a bushel for their corn this year?Well in an article in Lancaster Farming Perdue Ag the big poultry growing outfit is paying that price for organically grown corn in the Delmarva area and can't get enough.They even listed a phone number in the article for the folks to call at Perdue to get help setting up growing organic corn.I guess that puts Perdue Ag in the group with the crazies that want organic grown?

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My corn is selling for $50 a bushel!!

Yes it would. However, not huge numbers are switching because it takes 3 yrs to get chemically treted ground certified as organic. There is some market for transition crops that are grown organiclly but are not certified.

Some old order Amish have been doing "Organic" for years, just wouldn"t fill out the paperwork for a "certified organic" label, but did keep farm log/diary for their own record keeping, tax prep purposes. About 2010 with the ag bills, tax law changes, various paperwork to fill out to remain "Amish" instead of "English" the records of farm got included into the "Organic" proof acceptable to use the label on products sold. The Amish postal circle letters got to many bishops with the news of potential extra profit on crops and some states accepted the "Amish Certified" label in the grocery stores as a alternative to the federal law labels. Japan has their own food laws and inspection drills- a Oregon farmer got his meat accepted in Japan when the Japanese wouldn"t take USDA inspected beef due to Mad cow concerns, Canadian inspection of each carcass and the Organic inspection of each carcass meets Japans "inspect every cow brain/get the feed records" standard while the USDA "inspect some at random/don"t ask what they were fed" didn"t meet their standard. Couple farms in Iowa were getting $22.00 to $25.00/bu for soybeans for contracted Chinese Black variety grown to old practice- Amish got some of the sales. This variety is used for Tofu, TVP=Textured Veggie Protein for human consumption instead of pressed for oil, no pesticide or herbicide residues allowed in product (except maybe Pyrethium and sulfur?) Yield is/was about 2/3 Roundup Ready soybean, cost for production was estimated 10% higher per bushel - but double+ price for yield meant extra profit, especially for the Amish that had minimal change in practice needed to grow the specialty crop, no extra diesel or gas bill for cultivation required- the horse team needs feed pulling cultivator or not. About only other specialty crop that pays as good is restricted to the Washington and Colorado state farmer for the time being for a product that mostly goes up in smoke- but it may not be "organic" grown. RN

Pollen from GMO crops drifts for miles. Is cross pollination going to disqualify organic status? My father in law in MI is organic. Another farmer a mile away planted blue food grain corn. My FIL had blue kernels in his organic corn and seed corn. Had to sell it as commercial no 2 corn. A plow down crop of clover ect is no net gain of P and K only nitrogen. I contend Organic is a label only and there is no way to tell non organic grain from organic with the exception of GMO's dna makeup.

Yup Traditional, we should plant this marginal land back to grass and maybe you would be the first one to starve to death, you give stupidity a whole new meaning

No we're planting marginal land to 1)Make ethanol to screw up the gasoline and 2)Feed the Chinese
slave labor so they can make things cheap to bankrupt US Businesses.Talk about stupid that's it.

Doesnt Perdue have an organin poultry plant in Lebanon County Pa? They probably need a lot of corn for all the organic broilers they have contracted in PA

(quoted from post at 17:43:12 08/08/14) Yup Traditional, we should plant this marginal land back to grass and maybe you would be the first one to starve to death, you give stupidity a whole new meaning

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Why would he starve to death? Beef can be raised on grass. Besides we can just increase our food imports. Cause we DON'T feed the world. If we did we wouldn't import ANY food that can be grown here.

Rick

How can it vary state to state when the organic label is a federal thing?

Your input per acre is way higher than mine. And I have an average of 40 bushels an acre oats. I cultivate 3-4 times a year then seed, my cost is fuel and seed out of the bin. Weed control is a gamble. This year I made wild mustered silage as it grew to 5 ft tall and was choking the beans out. Got 6000lbs per acre silage. Beans are coming back enough that I may get 75 lbs an acre beans yet. $0.85 lbs for the beans when sold.
rotational crop is the key for weed control, and you can't be scared to make silage on a bad year. Called diversified farming. To put nutrients back you may have to get no crop 1 year and plow down buckwheat or other crop, up to twice in that year. Pays off if the next year you get 90-100 bushels oats at $6. If everybody went to Organic the price would rise as supply would be less and demand would be higher. Double the pric of wheat and you add 10 cents to a loaf of bread.