News

Looking at the continual corn option

As farmers make decisions for the 2013 crop year – the issue of continuous corn keeps coming up.  The drought of 2012 created serious problems for acres that were corn on corn and Diversified Services’ Illinois based staff agronomist Mike Toohill says some factors encourage it.  “We should have a strong spring price and the crop insurance guarantees should encourage corn production – and corn on corn planting,” he says.  “If growers have a higher land price they will probably continue planting corn on corn.”

But, Toohill tells Brownfield there is another type of grower with a different mindset.  “Maybe it is family ground, (farmers) own the ground, share rents, or maybe they’re tired of corn on corn and want to go back to a corn/bean rotation, or as my boss calls it a corn/bean flip-flop,” he says.  “They simply want to go back to a more consistent performance in all conditions.”

He notes while some growers will try corn on corn again this coming year – he anticipates less continual corn acres in 2013.

 AUDIO: Mike Toohill on Corn on Corn (1:10mp3)