By Sara Schafer and Michelle Rook
The high yields get the headlines, but how can you increase your yields across your farm? Consider these tips:
1. WAIT FOR IDEAL PLANTING CONDITIONS.
Along with the right genetics for your field, perfect planting conditions pave the way to strong yields, says Kevin Kalb, a multiyear winner of the National Corn Growers Association’s National Corn Yield Contest. He produces corn, soybeans and turkeys in Dubois, Ind.
The heavy rains and floods of 2017, which delayed his planting, cemented this lesson for Kalb.
“We started replanting on May 17, and it ended up being our best crop ever,” he says. “That was because it was such a uniform stand all the way through and never had to go through bad weather. I always tell guys to wait until the time is right.”
2. PUT YOUR EFFORT WHERE IT COUNTS.
If Erich Eller, president of ForeFront Ag Solutions, could redo technology, he would swap the colors on yield maps. “By nature, our eyes are drawn to red, and we always want to fix the worst problem in the field,” he says. “But that leads to undermanaging the best parts of the field.”
For example, he says, if a field tends to average 200 bu. per acre for corn, parts of the field hit 250 bu. and parts hit 150 bu.
“What if we shift fertilizer and other inputs from the lower-producing part to the higher-producing area? If I feed that crop, can I get 300 bu. for the same inputs?” Eller asks. “This won’t take 10% off your in-put costs, but you may end up with more overall bushels.”
3. TISSUE TEST TO LISTEN TO YOUR PLANTS.
One of Kalb’s secrets to yield success is tissue samples.
“We pull tissue samples — that’s our cheat sheet,” he says. “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.”
If you are pulling tissue samples, soil sample at the same time, recommends Eller: “I want to know if we come up low in tissue samples is it because we don’t have the nutrition in the soil or are our plants just not getting to it?”
4. TRIAL NEW PRACTICES.
Each year, test at least one new production practice, Eller suggests, such as:
- Planting populations
- Rates of nitrogen
- Biologicals
- Fungicide use
“Put in a few blocks of these different technologies,” he says. “Flag it off and track it throughout the season. It can be helpful to have a consultant or retailer come out and input the data on their iPad, so you have a digital record.”
Read More
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Iowa Farmer Goes Bushels Up and Fertilizer Down with Biologicals
