Harvest started in the SW

[sw363535]

Three fields done all irrigated

115 bpa, 155 bpa,  130 bpa

All over 200 last year.

[ehoff]

What made the difference?

[sw363535]

High winds  most or the summer.  Some green snap

And trying to stretch water in drought year ----- Stuborn management.

Not much corn here had a good look.  Sandier soils had  leaf scald in the wind no matter how good the water.

Variable rate fertilizer looks poor in places.  No til corn could not take the wind or get rooted well.  Wind set the soil up hard and early irrigation was required ---- which does help crusting of wind but not help compaction of wind and excess water applied early.

Corn was struggling all year.  Shorter than normal.

[sw363535]

Also________  Management bought into the shorter season varieties idea to save water.

Shorter season means less ability to handle stress.  

It is a mean climate ------  we should move to longer season and less population ------ seems backwards but it takes the stress better.

Seed advice from someone 600 miles from his area.

DeKalb and some Ag Venture numbers green snapped bad.

[vandenplas]

sw363535---

Where is SW?  New Mexico?  Arizona?

[Wind]

What is your corn pop now and what would be your less pop for next year? Your area needs a planter that staggers the seeds in the row with the seeds on either side of each row.  Like maybe a 24" twin row planter?  Our pop here is 32,500 and some are planting near 40,000. I believe Stine's are much hight yet.  I like the idea of lower pops with a flex ear.  So, wind was  hard on your corn this year, I have noticed over the years that corn that is protected from the wind, like a grove of trees, always does very well compared to the rest of the field.  We had another 2.56" of rain last night.  Had to pull feed truck out of the mud the morning, I have never seen it this wet this time of the year before.    

[sw363535]

sw kansas, Okla panhandle area

[sw363535]

personal opinion ------ We lost a lot of fertility by laying it on surface and trying to water it in.  Wind was just relentless.  If the fertilizer was on top or tied up in trash, it may have been in next field north by nightfall.  Another mean year.

Strip til places the fertilizer 8 inches below the seed bed. ------ hard to loose that.  Conventional til rips it all open and works fertilizer in but struggles with  wind until crop grows some.

[sw363535]

Same three fields last year actual yield

221.7 bpa

207.8 bpa

212.7 bpa

2014 not a great year for everyone outside the crop tour.  Ks is better to the north but streaky

[buckfarmer]

I learned the short vs long season lesson several years ago. A combination of drought and bad timing on my part lead to short season corn knee high and trying to tassel the first of June before I got it sidedressed. While the longer season varieties were still growing when I got the nitrogen on. Since I work off the farm and can't always get things done exactly on time I plant as long season as I can find.