Corn Plot Overview Jared Shippey Ben Logan

General Information  Planted 5/30/08  Hybrid – Pioneer 38B87 – 94 days  Planted population 35,000  Manure application  Fall 6000 gal/ac surface applied  Spring 6000 gal/ac surface applied  Field has long term manure history  Previous crop – Corn silage w/ rye cover crop

Tillage Plots  Treatments –  Plot 1: Spring chisel  Plot 2: Spring turbo-till  Plot 3: No-till  Fertility program –  18 gal/ac as starter  30 gal/ac 30% UAN banded at planting

Yield Results  Yield checks on 9/10/08  Spring chisel  13.5 tons/ac  Spring turbo-till  15.0 tons/ac  No-till  16.0 ton/ac  All yield data adjusted to 70% moisture

Economic Analysis  Corn Silage $40/ton  Revenue –  Chisel - $540/ac  Turbo-Till - $600/ac  No-Till - $640/ac

Economic Analysis  Tillage and Planting costs per acre  Chisel –  $48.50/ac  Turbo-Till –  $32.60/ac  No-Till –  $18.20  Figures taken from NASS 2008 PA Custom Machinery Rates

Economic Analysis  Net Return To Tillage  Chisel –  $  Turbo-Till –  $  No-Till –  $621.80

Fertility Plots  All plots were no-tilled  Treatments  Plot 4: Myer’s tradition fertility program  Plot 5: Starter and manure only  Plot 6: Manure only  Plot 7: Tradition fertility program plus Avail

Myer’s Tradition Fertility  Starter: 18 gal banded 2x2 off row  Nitrogen: 30 gal UAN banded w/ planter  6000 gal manure fall applied  6000 gal manure spring applied  All manure surface applied on rye cover crop  Total fertilizer app

Starter and Manure  Starter: 18 gal banded 2x2 off row  6000 gal manure fall applied  6000 gal manure spring applied  All manure surface applied on rye cover crop  Total fertilizer app

Manure  6000 gal manure fall applied  6000 gal manure spring applied  All manure surface applied on rye cover crop

Tradition Fertility w/ Avail  Starter: 18 gal banded 2x2 off row w/ Avail  Nitrogen: 30 gal UAN banded w/ planter  6000 gal manure fall applied  6000 gal manure spring applied  All manure surface applied on rye cover crop  Total fertilizer app

Yield Results  Plot 4: Myer’s fertility program – 16.0 tons  Plot 5: Starter & manure – 14.8 tons  Plot 6: Manure only – 12 tons  Plot 7: Myer’s fertility plus Avail – 11.4 tons  All yield data adjusted to 70% moisture

Economic Analysis  30% UAN est. $0.70/lb of N = $420/ton  Difference between Starter & UAN and Starter only was 1.2 tons of yield with a value of $48.00  Cost of nitrogen to get addition 1.2 tons of yield was $66.50

Summary  Yield difference between Avail plot and other plots with same fertility program was mostly related to soil productivity difference  No-tilled plots tolerated dry August conditions better than tilled plots  Abundant manure history can provide majority of crop P & K needs