Raising high yielding corn is a challenge every year, especially corn on corn. However, 12-time NCGA Yield Contest winner Kevin Kalb seems to have it mastered hitting 400 bushels per acre on test plots on his Dubois, Indiana farm. As he harvests this year’s crop, he’s already working on his plan for 2023. “You know, we’re corn on corn. So, our biggest job to do is the main thing we do is try to handle this residue you know when our high yielding corn. So that’s kind of reason why we run 870 disc-ripper to help manage that trash really good. So feed the microbes and get it going for next spring so there’s no really residue left over because that’s where a lot of your disease comes from the residue.”
Kalb is shooting for the non-irrigated corn record of 443-bushels per acre and says along with picking the right genetics, he advises waiting for ideal weather conditions for planting. He says the flood in 2017 changed his mind about early planting as he finished the end of April and lost the crop. “And we started planting on May 17 that year on a replant and ended up being our best crop ever. And just because of being so uniform stand all the way through and never had to go through bad weather so our biggest thing I tell guys you know is have patience, wait until the time is right.”
Agronomists agree that getting the crop off to a good start at planting time is key and you only get one chance to do it right. Mark Licht is an Extension Cropping Systems Specialist at Iowa State University. He says, “Really good seed to soil contacts in the right conditions, right so we spent a lot of money on the equipment and the seed let’s get it in there and give it the best chance to get going.”
During the growing season Licht says proper plant nutrition sets the tone for strong yields. “So, we need to start out with really good fertility making sure that you know we’re not short on phosphorus potassium nature and pH is in the right place.” he says.
Kalb monitors his plant fertility and health in season, so he can feed the plant and preserve the crop’s yield potential. He says, “You know, pull tissue samples. That’s our key. You know, we that’s our guideline. That’s our cheat sheet. Tissue samples tell us exactly what the plant needs. And it may take four or five years to get used to knowing how to read them and what the plant needs. But, you know, tissue samples is huge. And, you know, like I said we we run a lot of fungicides, you know, every field gets at least two shots and then our high yielding stuff we’ll get three shots. I finally decided to keep that plant healthy.”
Licht says that’s all part of a complete agronomic plan that protects the plant throughout the growing season. “And so for the most part that’s paying attention to weed management, insects and diseases and if we need to, you know, getting out there with the herbicides, fungicides, insecticides to make sure that we have that control,” he says.
