Re: Question about the cost of raising corn

Posted by oldtanker on January 14, 2012 at 00:43:41 from (66.228.255.223):

In Reply to: Question about the cost of raising corn posted by ejensen on January 13, 2012 at 14:56:27:

paul said: (quoted from post at 22:57:54 01/13/12) > 30 BPA??? Shows what I know. I thought he could maybe get 80-100. If he gets water & keeps the weeds down early, he could get 80 without fert. But on sand, that would take good farmer smarts. Corn is a grass, so he is planting a grass on top of decades of grass. That doesn't go well for the fertility & soil diseases. He's do better to put soybeans into it fertility wise, time wise, and cost wise. Corn needs about a lb of N per bushel of corn you harvest. There might be 150 lbs in the soil from freshly plowed alfalfa; might be about 40 lbs in the ground from soybean stubble. There likely is very little available from the grass crop. If I understand, this land is still grass? Spring plowed grown esp sand is just a disaster to try to raise corn on. He woulda needed to work it last fall. Now, the hay he works under will rob any N in the decomposing process, so he'll need to add an additional 40 lbs of N to deal with that situation. As well spring deep tillage will dry the soil too much if is sandy. Just a disaster for corn all the way around. He could no-till into the grass to plant corn saving water & time, but you're looking at $30,000 investment in a planter that will get that job done this time of year. Notilling corn into a grass has soil disease issues that cost money to deal with. I think the ground up that way is low in ph???? Not an issue here, but if his is, needs lime, and it takes 3 months or more for lime to work - with low ph, the acids hold on to the fertilizers in the ground and the plant roots can't pry it away - dumping fert on won't even help in low ph. If a problem, he's run out of time. Sandy soil, his P & K can't be good either. Sure the grass has recycled by not being harvested, but in sand those items do flush away, bet a soil test shows low levels. Corn sprouts, grows about 4 leaves, and sits there for quite some time, building it's root system. Doesn't loook like it's growing much. Then when the roots are built, it shoots up fast fast fast, and turns into a tall plant. The corn does _not_ like to have any weed pressure - shade - during that time it is building it's roots. Will mess up the root building phase and the corn loses 50 bu an acre right there. Most new farmers don't understand the timelyness of controlling weeds on corn. Garentee he'll look at the field and say, oh I'll deal with the weeds next weekend, looks good now.... And poof there went 50 bu an acre.... Seed corn is in very short supply, he likely will be able to buy corn seed, but the best numbers will be sold out. He'll get the leftover lower potential stuff this year. He can make good money farming 160 acres, I would not discourage that. Showing up in April with aplan to get going this year with no prep, oh boy, yea he'll be a lot smarter a year from now, no richer, but a lot smarter..... Bet he's closer to 30 bu than 200 bu. :) Hope you keep us posted on how this all develops. And, don't let him sell any of that corn to an ethanol plant!!!! (Just kidding.) --->Paul

Paul the guy is very tight with his money so I kow he will not be willling to part with any to get a REAL CROP!

rICK

This post was edited by oldtanker at 00:44:23 01/14/12.

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