|
| | ||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | NEWSSTAND LOCATIONS | ||||
| ||||
|
|
| | |
Hicks says corn yields may average 200 bushels someday Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Agri News staff writer
WASECA, Minn. -- Dale Hicks sees a day in the not too distant future when Minnesota's state average corn yield tops 200 bushels per acre.
He just wonders how farmers will get there.
Hicks, who retires June 29, is a University of Minnesota professor of agronomy and plant genetics. He spoke at last week's field day at Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca.
It will be a challenge to continue to maintain the two bushel per acre yield growth that the state's corn crop has averaged over the past 40 years, Hicks said.
About half that growth has come from advances in plant breeding and the other half from management.
Hicks said farmers may have milked all they can from management. It's up to breeders to develop a yield breakthrough.
It could be a yield preserver, like he'd argue the Bt hybrids are, but it probably won't be the drought gene that's being talked about. Drought isn't a major thing for Minnesota, though the trait may help in isolated areas, Hicks said.
Minnesota generally doesn't have diseases that rob corn yield, he added.
Weather has played a major role in increasing corn yields, particularly over the past decade. Southern Minnesota farmers are beginning to treat 200 bushels per acre as a normal yield.
But just as Mother Nature has giveth yield, she can taketh away, Hicks said, calling to mind the years of 1974 through 1976, 1988 and 1993.
Some producers, like Iowan Francis Childs, have been able to maximize corn yields on isolated plots, but there's no recipe for increasing field yields on a consistent basis, Hicks said.
This year looks to be another terrific year for corn production in Minnesota, he said, with most of the crop off to an excellent start.
"Yield is important," Hicks said.
In the last 10 years, production cost has climbed 25 percent while the prices received by farmers had been flat before last fall's spike. Yield increases kept farmers in business, he said.
Hicks has seen plenty of changes in his nearly 40 years of corn research. Soil testing has become routine and soil fertility has improved. Weed control has been consistent, but this may be temporary if glysophate resistance becomes widespread. Plant population has increased from 16,000 to 32,000 plants per acre.
Machinery and farm size have increased. Planting dates have moved earlier. Farmers used to plant 110-day hybrids in late May and combine in November and dry in the dryer, he said. Now, they plant 102- to 103-day hybrids and use less mechanical drying.
He remembers the first time he used a computer spreadsheet to evaluate costs. Now, everyone uses the Internet, which has raised new issues.
"Where's the truth? Who do you believe? I think that's a real issue for farmers," Hicks said.
Precision agriculture -- with yield maps and yield monitors -- is another new addition. Yield monitors are a fun piece of technology, but they haven't made a nickel for farmers, Hicks said.
"I'm of the school of thought that if it doesn't make them money, they shouldn't invest in it," he said.
Another change is the loss of faculty who do applied research at the University of Minnesota.
In his retirement, Hicks plans to spend more time enjoying his eight grandchildren. All live in Minnesota. He wants to travel in the states and spent winters in the Ozarks. He'll also spend more time restoring International Harvester tractors.
Do you know someone who's devoted their life to agriculture and rural communities? Nominate them for the Agri News Lifetime Achievement Award. You can write us at Box 6118, Rochester, MN 55903. Or you can call us at (507) 285-7659 or e-mail Agri News staff writer |
| | |
| |
Copyright 2008 Agri News
All Rights Reserved
