I heard from a neighbor today the organic corn field across the road from me yielded 80 bu/acre and they were happy with that. Is that typical for organic? What is average for regular corn - I hear numbers like 140 - 150 bu/acre? I get 80 bu/acre of corn growing 36" rows and using machinery and techniques from the 50's. It was a real good looking field of corn while it was growing. He had several hundred acres in other fields that didn't look any where near as good. We did have a pretty dry year overall and I know the ears on my corn were a lot smaller than normal.
- Thread starter Charlie M
- Start date
From what I can see yields are all over the place when it comes to organic field crops like corn. If you have light textured soil that is well drained you can cultivate as needed. If your soil is heavy and/or slow to drain/dry you are most likely not going to be timely in terms of keeping weed pressure minimal. That was a primary consideration when I looked at organic farming over 20 years ago. The farm I am on is prone to wetness during the growing season that can hold up cultivating and even spraying for more than 2 weeks depending on the weather pattern. I remember back in 1996 I no sooner planted some soybeans via a grain drill then we picked up 3 inches of rain to be followed by over 4 inches of rain a week later. The net result was the beans crusted in and the inability to use a rotary hoe greatly reduced the stand. The following year brought similar problems and after that the drill got seldom used for soybeans. I love the commodity prices that go with organics but the logistics make the probability of profit remote.
There's three or four brothers here that bought up a bunch land over the last few years. One of the fields is across the road from me, probably about a 100 acres that joins a farm they had before. This field was organic beans last year and oats this year. The guys are fun to watch, make a zillon trips over the field, lots of equipment and different ways of doing it.
I don't know these guys but my neighbor does and he says they're the only farmers making money. They grow certified seed and sell it for big bucks.
Looks like it would take big bucks to pay the fuel bill.
I don't know these guys but my neighbor does and he says they're the only farmers making money. They grow certified seed and sell it for big bucks.
Looks like it would take big bucks to pay the fuel bill.
flying belgian
Well-known Member
I do that custom organic farming for my neighbor here in So. central Mn. I have found it yields about 2/3 of what my conventional crops yield. This year his beans average 40 and mine average 66 bpa.
flying belgian
Well-known Member
Forgot to add--one year he had corn that went 142/bpa. mine went 200 that year. The big surprise was the year he had oats and I did too. His right around 100/bpa. mine went 70. I believe it was because I had used Atrazine on my field 2 years prier.
Been such a struggle the past few years with excess rain, oats has been a joke, beans struggle, corn has been stunted.
This year we had some terrible 2-6 inch rains pile on ch other in summer, but at last spring and fall were good. Had nice oats, real good beans, pretty good corn. 90, 56, and 175 bu.
The field of organic corn I go past looks like it germinates vert poorly. Or suffers from seedling bugs. Very uneven stand.
If it weren’t for that, it would look pretty good. But with the poor stand, weeds come in bad too.
As far as yield, just need N, P, K doesn’t matter if it comes from manure or granular fertilizer, should be able to hit the same yields if you pay attention.
Paul
This year we had some terrible 2-6 inch rains pile on ch other in summer, but at last spring and fall were good. Had nice oats, real good beans, pretty good corn. 90, 56, and 175 bu.
The field of organic corn I go past looks like it germinates vert poorly. Or suffers from seedling bugs. Very uneven stand.
If it weren’t for that, it would look pretty good. But with the poor stand, weeds come in bad too.
As far as yield, just need N, P, K doesn’t matter if it comes from manure or granular fertilizer, should be able to hit the same yields if you pay attention.
Paul
Oh my, is this a bean field near Twin Brooks SD, that is still not harvested. Because my brother (whom I have nothing to do with) is a field ACTUALLY 2 FIELDS. That look like this, and he is not organic, He is just to lazy to spray like you should. His neighbors are not pleased at all. We have organic farmers less than 3 miles from him that have fields that look way better than his do. and once again It is currently November 16th and he still has not harvested any of it.
30" rows are considered too wide by many. If I were to start over again, I would look at 20" or even 15" rows for corn. I believe you're from Illinois?? Marion Calmer from your state was planting corn in 15" rows years ago. Do you know Fred Below? (Univ of Illinois, Agronomy) Fred is also an advocate of rows narrower than 30". The equipment he uses in his test plots happens to be 20" but he is pretty sure even narrower would do just as well if not better.
Yes, it takes a while to catch on to organics although that is exactly the way my grandfather and father farmed for many years. Then, we got into chemical weed suppression, treated seed corn that could lay in the ground for a while and not rot, etc. Then, the third or fourth generation goes back in time and tries to use the new techniques for the old style of farming and, at least for corn, it just doesn't work. Our neighbors went organic and it took them years to realize that, up here in Siberia, they couldn't get away with planting corn on the 1st of May. Weeds got way ahead of the corn and they never did catch up. They learned to do it the way my father did in 1950. Get the oats and alfalfa in early (April) cool weather crops. Spread the last of the manure about the 20+ of May. Then, as fast as you can do it, moldboard plow, disc/drag, and plant corn starting on about the 25th or so. Warm enough then to germinate corn quickly and with lots of cultivation, weeds can be held back.
Similar threads
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.
Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy