Check my Math. Corn Farmers

Moonlite37 · Mar 25, 2017

I read in a magazine that USA produces 15.15 Billions Bushels of corn, 29 Million is used for seed. By ,y calculations that is a bit over 540 bushels of grain for each bushel of seed used. I suppose silage corn and replant is negligible. Does this sound reasonable. I think a bag of seed is somewhat less than a bushel

paul · Mar 25, 2017

A bag of seed corn is 80,000 kernals and seeds 2.5 acres typically - some are starting to seed a little higher, some dryland is seeded much lower. Bag can weigh under 40# to near 70# depending on the size of the seed. As seed corn is a hybred, the yield per acre of the seed is often very low. Plus, the male rows are not harvested making even lower per acre yields.

A fair amount of seed corn is grown in South America and brought up here. The big seed companies hedge their bet on seed production and sharing risk and timing on getting the right types in the right amounts.....

Paul

coonie minnie · Mar 25, 2017

I agree with Paul's statements below. I will add a few things... I would agree with you that a typical bag of corn seed is less than a bu. They do have 80000 kernels each, but most (not all) seem to weigh less than the 56 lb a bu is supposed to weigh.

COrn harvested for silage is usually 6-6.5 million acres annually. If we plant approximately 90 million acres, that is about 6% of the crop nationwide. There is also some abandoned every year- planted, but for whatever reason not harvested. Could be hail, flooded, drought, etc.

And as Paul said, there is some imported seed. Not sure how much that is, but it is some every year.

I think the number you came up with is a bit high -if I did the math at 2.5 acres per bu of seed, you'd get an average yield of about 215 bu per acre, I think the national average was in the high 170s this past year??? You are fairly close, though!

JMS/.MN · Mar 25, 2017

Small rounds, 80,000 seeds per bag, can easily weigh only about 37 pounds. Hybrid seed fields yield way less than field corn, often around 50 bpa. I think a good yield is still well under 100 bpa. I think you just an issue of Successful Farming? I remember reading figures like you are posting.

Ray IN · Mar 25, 2017

It is perfectly reasonable if an average ear of corn has 540 kernels.

Check my Math. Corn Farmers

Moonlite37

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paul

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coonie minnie

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JMS/.MN

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Ray IN

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