Thinking about next year

I was curious to know the seeding rates and fertilizer numbers you fellas are using for corn. I realize that they may need to be adjusted, as I'm in Ne Ks and you are not. But I have never grown corn and am planning to quit planting milo next year in favor of corn. Thanks, Erik

What are you using the corn for?
Cattle feed. Gound up ? or the whole stock for
cattle feed? What does your ground test? Does it need lime, fertilizer? Give us more infro. ldj

just looking for some basic information on common seeding rates so I don't get worked over by the seed rep. Generally produce 35-50 bushel beans and 80-115 bushel milo (with 115 units of N and 30lbs phosporhus per acre).

I've not grown corn but in another job in another time I hand picked corn plots at Cornell Agronomy.
They were testing N needs on plots with different rates of manure application. Control plots had no manure. The biggest jump in yield occured at around 80lb. N. Yields went up with higher applications but it started to level off after 80lb, so return on fertilizer dollars spent did too.
Maximum yields were at 200lbs. Optimum was 80-100.

Call your cooperative extension office. They can guide you. Soil samples, and fertilizer - very important!

www dot ianrpubs dot unl dot edu

As another said, call your extension agent. K-State has calculated all that and their services are available to the extension agent if you need specifics. Besides,K-State needs a positive outcome so they won't obsess over their soon to fail BBall team.

Well, I thought someone might give a little food for thought, but here it is. Does 26,000-29,000 kernels per acre, 135 units of N, 50lbs P and 40lbs K sound like a starting point? I am familiar with soil tests and the extension office, but at this point is a little WET to do any probing.

I farmed for three years in SE Nebraska, '78-'80, when I first started. Since you've been growing milo, I assume you're a dryland farmer. 26-29K would be way to thick for dryland corn, 15-18K is probably a better recommendation, on the high side. 135 #'s of N, may, or may not be enough, depending on your yield goal, residual N, etc. If you band starter, or strip till fertilizer, you can get by with way less than 50 #'s of P, as a rule. K isn't even recommended in Nebraska as a rule, as most soils have sufficient K in them for agricultural purposes. There are simply to many variables to consider when you ask a question the way you did. Very few, if any, successful farmers today make their own plans without eliminating as many variables as possible. Inputs are way to expensive to make seat of the pants decisions. And most are going to be hesitant to make recommendations to anyone else, without more information. I once farmed a piece of ground where the previous farmers standard fertilizer program had been 200 #'s of N, and 50 #'s of P along with 30 #'s of Zn broadcast, year after year after year, no soil testing. I raised very good crops the first two years I farmed the ground, with no applied fertilizer, zilch, nada. Wait till the ground dries out enough to pull soil samples, set economically realistic yield goals, and go from there. Good luck!! :wink:

Where-about in NE Kansas?