Confused About The Pros And Cons Of Narrow Row Corn?

Confused About The Pros And Cons Of Narrow Row Corn? PLANTERS Planters 22-3-16 If you're confused about whether planting corn in narrow rows works, you're not alone. In the past couple years, studies have come out on both sides of the issue. You might have heard of Illinois farmer Marion Calmer, who probably knows more about the pros and cons of narrow row corn than anyone else. After years of running extensive test plots on his farm near Alpha, Ill., he says, "Don't worry. It works." Corn in 15-in. rows consistently provides yield increases of 8 to 15 bu. But it has to be done right. Compaction must be kept to a minimum and, most importantly, you have to choose the correct variety, Calmer says For example, he cites one large study where 34 farmers in eight counties tried 15-in. corn on a total of about 1,000 acres. The growers tried 27 different varieties and about 80 per-cent of them had higher yields in the narrow rows as compared to 30-in. rows. Some of the varieties, however, simply could not handle the higher densities. Calmer's 1,300 acre farm is run as an independent test farm. After he started trials with narrow row corn, he designed a new-style corn head to handle the narrow rows. His cornhead was recently acquired by Case-IH and should be on the market soon. In the past couple years, surprisingly, corn in ultra-narrow 12-in. rows has out-yielded plots in 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36-in. rows. He plants 32,000 plants per acre with plants spaced 12 in. apart within the 12-in. rows. Calmer has studied the effect of compaction on the narrow rows. He found that corn planted between the wheels yielded about 30 percent higher than corn planted in the tire tracks. So he switched to radial tires on his tractor with low air pressure, and also added some coulters to his planter to loosen up the soil a little to break up surface compaction. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marion Calmer, 550 N. Knox, Alpha, Ill. 61413 (ph 309 334-2609).

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