Planting practices affect corn stand, yield

Corn growers attending a recent field day saw firsthand what a difference planting practices can make in a stand of corn, even in a year plagued by wet and cold weather at planting.

On a 10-acre plot on Chillicothe farmer Brian Brown’s farm, growers saw side-by-side trials where row-spacing, ear counts and root systems showed how using optimum downforce settings, planting depths and seed singulation results in more even stands, more kernels and eventually higher yields. For example, dug-up corn plants planted with an automatic downforce system consistently into the moisture layer produced a large, much fuller root system, compared to the narrow root ball resulting from seed being left too shallow in the furrow by a planter with manual, static downforce.

The Aug. 7 event, co-sponsored by Ohio Ag Equipment and Seed Consultants, Inc., with technology and equipment from AGCO, White Planters and Precision Planting, is part of the annual AGCO Crop Tour program. Started in 2016, the Crop Tour demonstrates how the interaction between soil conditions, equipment and seed placement affect plant emergence, health, productivity and yield. The goal is to help growers gain agronomic knowledge about tillage and planting technology in order to make better planting decisions based on their local conditions.

“Being able to demonstrate, in the field, the real-world benefits of using Precision Planting technology and the While Planter is very exciting,” said Todd Shephard, general sales manager of Ohio Ag Equipment. “Any time we can help our customers add to the bottom line of their operation is a win for all of us.”