30 It’s Farming. And It’s Better. Better Farming | November 2024 Residue Management Are you thinking about planting next season? Hopefully, the answer is yes. The most important thing you can do to set the stage for a successful planting season next year is to control residue this fall, during and after harvest. With increased yields in both corn and soybeans, more residue is left over, which provides a challenge for planting next year’s crops into that residue – especially if you are in a no-till/ reduced tillage management system. When I first started weighing off corn plots, corn averages hovered around 140 to 160 bushels per acre. Flash forward to 2023 and yields in similar plot geographies were topping 220 to 240 bushels per acre. Improved genetics and paying better attention to agronomy management have resulted in bigger yield gains. Studies have suggested that genetic gains in corn yield account for 50 to 60 per cent of total corn yield gain on an annual basis, with sound agronomic management contributing to the other portion. Using a simple factor of 0.5 pounds of residue for each bushel of corn produced gives us a snapshot of just how much extra residue is produced on an acre basis in the plot examples below. A lot of this yield gain can also be attributed to higher plant stands. The hybrids of today can take stress (higher populations; closer inter-row competition) a lot better than hybrids of years gone past. If we look at corn populations, we have gone from an average of about 26,000 to 28,000 plants per acre up to an average of 32,000 to 34,000 plants per acre over the last 25 years. That increase in population means more plant biomass is produced, which must be dealt with. On a population basis, an extra 6,000 plants per acre would equate to 42 to 60 more bushels of corn yield, depending on the maturity area and length of the growing season. This assumes seven to 10 bushels per every thousand ears harvested. That means an extra 2,352 pounds to 3,360 pounds of grain and 1,176 pounds to 1,680 pounds more residue on an acre basis. Other genetic changes are coming, such as reduced stature in corn. This new concept has shorter internodes than today’s hybrids. Plant leaf architecture is the same; however, plant heights are reduced by one-third. This assists with less residue and allows growers to have more options to manage the crop with appliSETTING THE STAGE FOR #PLANT2025 RESIDUE MANAGEMENT BY PAUL HERMANS Paul Hermans photo YEAR CORN PLOT YIELD AVERAGE GRAIN YIELD lbs RESIDUE YIELD lbs 2021-2023 1998-2000 DIFFERENCE 220 BUSHELS 140 BUSHELS 80 BUSHELS 12,320 7,840 4,480 lbs 6,160 3,920 2,240 lbs
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