As farmers finish planting their 2025 corn and pull planters out of the final field, David Hula encourages them to get right back out there and start assessing the crop and making plans on how to manage it.
“I know we keep talking about the planter and the planting process, but the information we learn now can tell us how we’re going to progress forward the rest of the season,” he says.
Hula knows what he’s talking about. The Charles City, Va., farmer has set the world corn yield record five times, including in 2023 with a yield of 623.8439 bu. per acre (bpa). He has captured top honors in the NCGA contest 12 times.
Preserve Corn Yield Potential
Fellow yield champion Randy Dowdy often tells farmers there is only one direction corn yield potential goes once you open a bag of seed. “It only goes downhill from there,” says Dowdy, a Valdosta, Ga., corn grower. “It’s why we need to have plan every season, so we can save all the yield potential we possibly can.”
Hula says saving yield potential is more important than ever, given commodity prices this year.
“This is not the year to be spending money on a poor crop, so go see where you have a good, uniform stand – whether it’s corn or soybeans – and then we can start thinking about what we’re going to do next,” he says.
Three things to do now, Hula and Dowdy say:
1. Dig up some corn plants in multiple parts of each field and evaluate them.
Look for whether the seed was planted uniformly (preferably at 2”) across the field. This is important because uniform planting helps promote uniform emergence and picket-fence stands – factors that influence corn growth and productivity all season long.
“It’s painful to look at a grower and tell them ‘Don’t push for higher yields in this crop because the planting process wasn’t done well’ – that they didn’t get that box checked,” Dowdy says. “Likewise, it’s so encouraging when I can look at a grower and say, ‘You know what, I want this kind of result in my field. You’ve got more yield opportunity here.’”
If the practice of digging up corn plants for evaluation is new to you, consider buying a square-bottom spade, advises Paul Yoder, Pioneer field agronomist. He says a square- bottom spade helps farmers visually see emergence issues that would be difficult to reveal with a trowel digging from the top down.
Yoder offers a brief visual guide here to help growers get a feel for the practice.
2. Evaluate the direction corn plant roots are going.
If there’s no obstruction — no compaction and no density layer for them to deal with — corn roots will grow down as long as they have access to water and oxygen.
However, if the roots hit an obstruction, they will turn and grow horizontally, or sideways.
“When we’re turning a lot of roots, that puts limitations on the crop,” explains Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
When roots turn and grow sideways, the corn plant will be unable to effectively absorb nutrients and moisture that might be deeper in the soil profile as summer progresses. This results in less productive plants that are vulnerable to pests, disease and standability issues.
Corn root examination is a fundamental part of understanding the crop’s potential so you can make informed management decisions, Hula adds.
3. Establish or update your yield goal for each field, so you know where to invest limited resources.
Not every field deserves the same level of investment, Dowdy and Hula contend.
“Sometimes you drive by a field and think, ‘hey, this crop looks good.’ But then you go out and dig up some plants. It might be a situation where, ‘hey, fellas, stop spending money on this crop.’ The opposite is true, too. This is the year to make sure you’re investing in your good fields,” Hula says.
For example, if you typically side-dress in corn, consider whether you want to raise your yield goal, keep it the same or even lower it – depending on what the crop is telling you, by field. If you opt to raise yield goals, make sure you adjust N rates accordingly.
Dowdy and Hula encourage growers to pull tissue samples to help dial-in their crop’s nutritional status and yield potential.
Dowdy talked more about what farmers can do to influence corn yields with AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Monday here.
Pre-Tassel Crop Tours Are Underway
During this final week of May, Hula and Dowdy are hosting a series of pre-tassel on-farm crop tours with customers who participate in their program, Total Acre.
“People get to see firsthand what David looks for in a corn crop and hear what he believes can influence that crop,” Dowdy says. “At whatever point we’re at in a field, we’re willing to share our insights and information.”
The two yield champs encourage anyone interested in learning more about growing high-yield corn to come join them. The schedule is available here.
Check out Tyne Morgan’s latest interview with Hula and Dowdy on the “U.S. Farm Report:"
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