Budget Savvy Corn

As markets continue to be volatile and margins are scrutinized we all are looking for a place to save some green, is your corn doing the same? Recently there has been a lot of attention focused on corn hybrids and their use of nitrogen. What if genetic advancements allow us to change our nitrogen recommendations on corn, how about if you use the same nitrogen but increase the yield? Research has already shown that yield response to nitrogen is not only based on amount but also tied to soil type and yield potential so it seems only natural that the specific genetics of the plant may also be a player. Recent research and demonstration has also shown that some of the most striking differences with hybrids is how fast they can recover after a time of stress. Another interesting article was also recently posted on AgWeb looking at some of the possibilities to advancing corn yields in the future by minimizing stress to individual plants. Individual plants must compete with each other for nutrients in order to have consistent growth across the field, so if these plants can get better at competing hopefully they will utilize more of the nutrients available to them in the field.

As we look down the road we may see more ways that corn becomes budget savvy. This shouldn't be a surprise to us since in some sense it has already happened. With new traits we can now plant corn resistant to pests allowing us to spend less on chemicals and applications (while more for the bag of seed) and also saving us some time. As we move forward in the market there is no doubt our corn will continue to get 'smarter' and hopefully widen our margins on the farm.