How low can a farmer go? Plant 30,000 seeds per acre, or a lean 20,000, or even a bare-bones 5,000, and still maintain profit levels?
Across three years of ongoing field trials, Thomas Hairston is turning wide-row crop speculation into action on his farm: “It’s funny when folks come out to the rows and see all the different populations. I always ask, ‘Which do you think will be the most profitable?’ They always go to the thicker stands—the ones with the biggest planting populations. They’ve been wrong every time.”
What are the keys to profitability on 60” cotton? “If you want to know what happens when you plant 5,000 seeds per acre or any other population, try it in your own field and don’t worry about it if people look at you like you’re crazy,” Hairston adds. “If you want the facts about wide row crops and profitability, get the data from your own farm.”
“Why Not?”
On the level land of Humphreys County, between Silver City and Midnight, Hairston produces corn, cotton, soybeans, wheat, and catfish alongside his family at Riven Oak Farms, located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.
Curious to his core, Hairston, 25, incessantly engineers on-farm research, searching for an extra edge. “We’ve always got some trials going on,” he says. “You have to put in the extra time to constantly improve your operation and find genuine ways to decrease risk and increase profitability.”
At Riven Oak Farms, the typical cotton (irrigated via polypipe) configuration is 2-4-2 on 30” rows, with planting at 40,000 seeds per acre (spa). In 2020, Hairston deviated from the on-farm standard, and planted (cotton behind corn) two half-acre plots on 60” rows—one plot at 40,000 spa spaced by 2.6” and the other at 20,000 spa spaced at 5.23”. (The silty loam plots bumped against 2-4-2 ground.)
The outcome? Hairston’s 20,000 population significantly outyielded his 40,000 population on 60” rows. “The implications are really intriguing. I’m already planting 40,000 on 2-4-2, so if I can go to a 60” configuration and plant half the seed, why not? To be clear, the 60” didn’t yield as good as 2-4-2, but the profitably was the same.”
Dollar Questions
In 2021, Hairston again planted on silty loam, cotton behind cotton, but expanded the trial to eight half-acre plots planted at 5,000 spa; 10,000 spa; 15,000 spa; 20,000 spa; 30,000 spa; and 40,000 spa. The two remaining plots followed the standard 2-4-2 configuration at 40,000.
Overall, the 2021 60” trials yielded 130 lb. less than the 2-4-2, but the overall profitability of 60” versus 2-4-2 was identical (at 2021 commodity levels and input prices). However, the trial revealed a shocker: Hairston’s plots planted at 10,000, 15,000, and 20,000 were his most profitable—either equal or superior to the 2-4-2 plots.
“Most of the savings came from seed costs. If you plant at 40,000 per acre, that about $110 per acre. At 20,000 it’s $55 per acre, and 10,000 is $27.50 per acre. Right off the bat, you’re saving substantially.”
Hairston also reduced fertilizer applications by a fifth. “I normally put down 80 units cotton following corn, but this field where I had the plot was cotton following cotton so I bumped it to 100 and then after the one-fifth cut I came to the 80 units on the 60”,” he describes. “Right there, at this year’s fertilizer prices, that’s about $20-25 saved per acre by cutting out nitrogen, and I believe I could have put out 60 units of nitrogen and been fine.”
However, Hairston believes the plot size masked the potential for even more savings, particularly related to chemical applications. “In my opinion, some real money kicks in on big acres when you can band insecticide early. For example, maybe band your thrips spraying and your first two or three plant bug sprays, cutting those down to an 8” or 15” band. That would save a ton of money and shift a $5-10 insect spray to $2-5. The same goes for plant growth regulators because I’d treat that different on big acres.”
With 20.9” between each seed, how did the plot planted at 5,000 spa fare? From the cab of the picker, it blended with the surrounding cotton, but from the ground, the yield difference was easy to spot, according to Hairston. “There were positions coming out and sticking, with boll size about 30-40% larger than solid-row cotton, but the plants have to do a whole lot of compensating. The yield on the 5,000 was 100 lb. less than the 10,000—basically $100 at dollar cotton, but then again, the 10,000 seed per acre cotton was the most profitable plot in the whole trial.”
Would Hairston plant cotton on big acreage at 10,000 spa? “No, I would not because that’s only a seed every 10.45” and I’d rather go up to 15,000 to ensure I have an adequate final stand.”
Alligator Clay
As Hairston’s trial enters its third year, he will depart from the classic ice cream soil and move the rows into alligator clay—heavy dirt. “Let’s see what happens in gumbo. On my farm, if I had nothing but creekbank dirt, I’d already be on 60” rows right now. But like most farmers, I’ve got mixed fields with some heavy bottoms.”
Bottom line, gumbo will be the true tale-of-the-tape for Hairston’s 60” trial. “It’s hard to grow good cotton on heavy soils because the top-end yield potential is just not there. However, if we can still come out equal to or better on profitability on the heavy soils, we would consider going farm-wide 60”. Certainly, that’d be a couple years down road, but that’s the plan.”
Hairston does not have sky-high expectations for 60” cotton on heavy soils, but he casts doubt to the side. “My starting assumption is that heavier ground is more conducive to 2-4-2, but that’s exactly why I’m doing this trial—to not assume anything. I’m going to find out the facts instead of relying on guesswork, and either way, it’ll be really interesting to see what happens.”
“Try telling someone you’re gonna plant at a drastically reduced seeding rate on 60” rows in heavy soils, and they’ll look at you like you’ve lost your mind,” Hairston adds. “It’ll be interesting to see what the upcoming year’s data will have to say.”
To read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com — 662-592-1106), see:
Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market
Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.
Bagging the Tomato King: The Insane Hunt for Agriculture’s Wildest Con Man
How a Texas Farmer Killed Agriculture’s Debt Dragon
While America Slept, China Stole the Farm
Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years
The Arrowhead whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland
Where’s the Beef: Con Artist Turns Texas Cattle Industry Into $100M Playground
Fleecing the Farm: How a Fake Crop Fueled a Bizarre $25 Million Ag Scam
Skeleton In the Walls: Mysterious Arkansas Farmhouse Hides Civil War History
US Farming Loses the King of Combines
Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy
Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs
Misfit Tractors a Money Saver for Arkansas Farmer
Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields
Farmland Detective Finds Youngest Civil War Soldier’s Grave?
Descent Into Hell: Farmer Escapes Corn Tomb Death
Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam
Grizzly Hell: USDA Worker Survives Epic Bear Attack
Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior
Killing Hogzilla: Hunting a Monster Wild Pig
Shattered Taboo: Death of a Farm and Resurrection of a Farmer
Frozen Dinosaur: Farmer Finds Huge Alligator Snapping Turtle Under Ice
Breaking Bad: Chasing the Wildest Con Artist in Farming History
In the Blood: Hunting Deer Antlers with a Legendary Shed Whisperer
Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows
