Conventional corn hybrids

[Blacksandfarmer]

Is anybody out there still raising conventional corn hybrids? You can by them at a pretty good price these days compared to RR and Bt hybrids. I have never used conventional corn hybrids, but I have never sprayed a corn field with roundup even though I have RR corn. Usually a good pre-emerge will keep the weeds under control here (except in muck) until the crop canopy shads the weeds out. What are some post emerge herbicide options in conventional corn? A regional seed company I deal with has some conventionals yielding right up there with the Bt hybrids so I was just curios if any of you still plant conventional hybrids? Thanks.

[p-townag]

I've only grown GMO corn one year and had to channel it to my neighbor for hog feed that year. (I take that back.  Three years ago my seed dealer said they misbagged a triple-stack as conventional and delivered it to me. They were afraid I had a non-GMO contract somewhere. I didn't, so I got BT protection for conventional price plus a little bonus!)  I incorporate Fultime and Topnotch and follow with Northstar and atrazine.

MK

[Nebrfarmr]

Plant some conventional every year but last year.  The dealer ran out of my conventional, so gave me the RR ready version at the same price.  4 of the last 5 years, my top yielding corn has been conventional, but I admit it needs more tending, and to be picked sooner so it won't drop ears here and there.

I have had the best luck with pre-emerge herbicided, as opposed to post, as I furrow irrigate, and need to cultivate 2/3 to 3/4 of my acres so they irrigate, so I just as well take the ridger wings off, and go through the rest of my corn, since I am hitched up to the Hiniker anyway.

[p-townag]

I farm in Illinois, but I'm a UN-L graduate and learned about irrigation working on Bill Compton's corn breeding crew.

I have nothing against any GMOs except the price. Those traits can be handy tools and cheap insurance but if your neighbors have killed most of the ECBs and you practice IPM, why pay for something you probably won't need. Save the money until the problem reaches an economic threshold.

The first year RR corn was available I planted a few rounds next to my RR soybeans figuring I could overlap the treatments and eliminate a strip of weeds between the corn and beans. I hired custom spraying and they were too timid to spray Roundup into the corn to I still had the weeds. I called my usual grain buyers and they said they would have no problem taking it until a week later when they decided they wouldn't. So . . . I've been doing okay with conventionals. Same genetics.

[joehjohnson]

Dairyland Seed has a good selection of conventional seed