POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit #218 Kearney, NE 68848
September 17, 2009 Issue 226-13-19
New corn planting technique gets attention By Mark Coddington Grand Island Independent
Hundreds of spectators gathered at Husker Harvest Days' corn harvesting demonstration on Tuesday, watching and discussing each new combine as it made its pass down the show's demo field. But while the combines were getting most of the announcer's and viewers' attention, something else was new, too: The way the corn was planted. Tuesday's demonstration was the first in Husker Harvest Days' history to feature twin-row planting, a growing style intended to allow farmers to increase the amount of seed they plant without overpopulating a field. The technique involves planting corn in sets of two rows only about 7 or 8 inches apart, as opposed to the standard 30-inch distance. Each set of twin rows is separated by a space of about 22 inches. Roger Luebbe, Husker Harvest Days' operations manager, planted 200 of the show's 600 corn acres in twin-row style, with the rest in standard single-row style. He said Tuesday's demonstration is intended to give observers a glimpse into how standard combines perform with twin-row corn. "You line everything up side by side, and everybody can make up their own minds," Luebbe said. Luebbe said he's seen no adverse effects on standard combines when harvesting twin-row corn. He's putting his own corn on the line, too, planting 600 acres of twin-row corn on his own farms in Hall and Howard counties. Luebbe said twin-row planting works particularly well on dry-land or pivot-irrigation fields, and with no-till practices, too. "You've about got to throw your cultivator away," Luebbe said, laughing. Luebbe said twin-row planting is beginning to catch on elsewhere in the country where those practices are
An example of twin-row planting at Husker Harvest Days. The rows are planted two close together and then spaced. The two grouped rows are off set so the plants don't grow right next to eachother. (The Independent/Scott Kingsley)
more common, but he's seen a little bit more of it around Nebraska over the past couple of years. Tom Evans, vice president of sales and marketing for Great Plains Manufacturing of Salina, Kan., said his company has at least doubled its sales of twin-row planters in each of the past four years. He said leading seed companies have made recent statements about the ability for yield sizes to explode in the coming years, provided that seed populations are able to increase drastically, too.
That's where twin-row planting comes in. Evans said it has been shown to allow much higher seed population without showing the effects of overpopulation, because the staggered planting style allows the corn more room to use light and water more efficiently. "By giving it that much more space, it just turns the plant loose," Evans said. Though the combines were the main attraction at Tuesday's demo, some in the crowd were mainly there to check out the twin-row style.
Tim Lance, who farms near Maryville, Mo., said he was impressed with the yield of a twinrow test plot he planted about five or six years ago. He hoped to find someone Tuesday to ease his concerns about twin-row's potential long-term effects on standard combines. But as a dry-land farmer with hilly fields, Lance said he's always looking for new techniques, and he finds twin-row planting an attractive option. Continued on page 5
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average Year Ago Nebraska Slaughter Steer 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$98.22 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600# . . . . . . . . . . . .123.06 Med & Large Frame, 750-800 # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113.93 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750# Carcass . . . . . . . . . .159.05 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71.85 Feeder Pigs, National Direct, 50#, FOB . . . . . . . . . .30.26 Pork Carcass Cutout, 185#, 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . .77.37 Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr.,Heavy, SD Dir. . . . . . . . .96.62 Nat. Carcass Lamb Cutout, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274.80
4 Wks Ago 9/4/09
81.14
83.45
120.38 104.99 141.49 48.38 * 56.62 96.50 253.52
112.36 102.85 142.83 49.65 32.00 55.02 91.13 251.28
4.25 3.01 11.54 5.12 2.09
3.74 3.03 9.25 4.75 1.97
* * *
* 82.50 *
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.69 Corn, No. 2, Yellow, Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.22 Soybeans, No. 1 Yellow Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11.70 Grain Sorg. No. 2 Yellow, Dorchester, cwt . . . . . . . . .8.02 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, MN, bu. . . . . . . . . . . .*
Hay (per ton) Alfalfa, Lrg. Sq. Bales Good to Prem., NE Neb. . . . . .190.00 Alfalfa, Lrg. Rounds, Good, Platte Valley, . . . . . . . . .77.50 Grass Hay, Lrg. Rounds, Premium, Neb., . . . . . . . . .85.00 * No market.
Look inside this issue for these headlines...
Hunting Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 7 Threads across Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9-11 FFA Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Special Insert • Country Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3, 5 • Washington Report . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 • Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
• Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 15 • Heartland Cattleman . . . . . . . . . .14 • Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-19
For daily agriculture news, updates and local happenings, visit the Heartland Express website at www.myfarmandranch.com