2008 Corn-On-Corn Checklist

It’s possible that a large percentage of your 2007 soybean ground will get planted to winter wheat this fall. There may also be economic pressure to plant additional spring wheat in some areas of the province on soybean ground. If corn prices rise over winter and attractive pricing options present themselves, some corn producers may plant corn on ground that grew grain corn in 2007. A few of the steps that will lead to profitable corn-on-corn production need to be taken now.

1. Order the hybrid
   It is very difficult to think there is any thing more important than getting the right hybrid for corn-on-corn. Bt-rootworm protection, herbicide tolerant, Bt-corn borer protection, seed-applied insecticide, good stalk strength, and of course high yields are the traits you need to get. Wait to order this hybrid in March when the price of corn gets you salivating and I’ll bet you Peter Johnson’s salary that you won’t be able to get it.
2. Identify potential fields with better drainage
   Potential fields should be targeted where corn-on-corn has the greatest possibility for success. Ideally these may be some of your lighter textured soils or better drained fields where corn roots that are struggling with the stresses of corn-on-corn conditions are not frequently contending with wet soil conditions as well.
3.  Identify potential fields where the 2007 corn crop was not herbicide tolerant
   This will make controlling volunteer corn in 2008 with your herbicide tolerant hybrid a simple proposition.
4. Consider fall tillage options and improvement
   There are some good examples in Ontario of reduced tillage systems working for corn-after-corn. However, my confidence in recommending them is limited. Until we have proved them out further, I recommend fairly aggressive tillage systems. Ensure that your fall tillage operation gets done for corn-on-corn under excellent soil fracturing conditions. Focus on uniformity, both of soil disturbance and residue management. Deep tillage that leaves the soil rough and the residue poorly distributed (i.e. a poorly set up chisel plow) will be tougher to deal with and give poorer results than a good job of disc-ripping or mouldboard plowing.
5. Planter set-up to remove trash
   Planter set-up should include precision depth control like in any previous crop scenario, but if corn residues are on the soil surface it is critical to remove them with trash clearing devices from the row area ahead of the row unit openers.
6. Nitrogen at planting
   If you plan on sidedressing your nitrogen in June, be sure to meet the early N requirements at planting time. Normally we consider 30 lbs N/acre to be a good number for this early plant feeding. However, in a corn-on-corn scenario, where more of the soil nitrogen may be tied up in the decomposing corn stover, it may be advisable to boost this number by 50% (i.e. 45 lbs N/acre).
7. Use the most economical N rate
   Field parameters can be entered into the Ontario Corn N Calculator to help you ensure the most profitable nitrogen application rate for a corn-on-corn scenario. For example, in a 2,900 CHU area consider a field of corn-after-corn with 150 bu/acre yield potential, on a sandy loam soil, with a corn price of $4.50/bushel and nitrogen costs of $.50/lb. If you apply 45 lb N/acre at planting, how much additional N would you sidedress? (Answer: 97 lbs N/acre). What if all the N is applied as pre-plant urea and incorporated? (Answer: 152 lbs N/acre). Other factors that best describe your fields can be entered into the calculator on the Go Corn website.

Related Links

• GoCorn.Net Website

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