Published: November 23, 2008 07:23 pm            

Cover story: How to succeed in corn growing without really trying*

Originally published in the Nov. 14, 2008, print edition.

Riding shotgun in a John Deere 9550 combine and watching the monitor punching up 240 to 250 (even an occasional 280) bushels-per-acre yield with 20 percent moisture is exciting anytime.

That’s a 220-bushel dry yield and Sibley County producer Bruce Lilienthal of rural Arlington gives major credit to his wife, Nelva. It doesn’t hurt that the field grew soybeans the previous season.

“The corn is doing such a good job, the rows are so straight because my wife does all the planting,” Lilienthal said.

While Bruce was running the combine, Nelva and son Kevin, 17, were each running a grain cart to their farmstead bin site of five bins plus wet-corn holding bin.

Lilienthal plants for a harvest population of about 32,500 plants per acre. But he’s also testing higher populations — this year his National Corn Growers Association yield plot was planted at 37,000 ppa.

He liked the results: 239.59 bushels per acre with DeKalb 5044. The same hybrid adjoining this plot did 225.5, which means he likely will try a few more acres of high population corn in 2009.

“I’m pretty well convinced these new hybrids with multiple trait protection can do the job at higher populations, assuming we get timely rains. And if those additional 5,000 plants produce 10 to 15 more bushels yield, even at $4 corn that works out OK,” he said.

In view of escalating production costs, what is his strategy on how to make money on his 2009 corn and soybeans?

“I’ll let you know after harvest next fall,” he said. “Hindsight is so much better.”

Marketing is the challenge

Because of record high land, fertilizer and seed costs, Lilienthal acknowledges his input costs for 2009 will be his highest ever. He already has sold some ’09 crop but that, too, is a precarious position in view of the volatility of commodity markets these days.

“Generally, nobody has enough grain sold ahead of their production year, but the past couple years we’ve had too much sold early,” he said. “So what do you do? Spread(ing) your sales over several months is often suggested, but what months?”

Veteran marketing specialist Al Kluis has long talked of making incremental sales into the market as it rallies. “I used to have customers make two new-crop sales of 20 to 30 percent for off-the-combine delivery, and then two to three sales of the remaining crop to spread out the risk and hopefully increase the average selling price,” Kluis said.

He’s changed that strategy however in view of the more volatile fund-driven markets. “I now suggest making five new crop sales of 10 to 20 percent and then five cash sales of 10 to 20 percent. With wide price swings, make more sales and increase your odds of averaging up,” Kluis said.

With fertilizer costs now approaching $200 per acre for corn, Lilienthal recognizes he can’t shave fertilizer without also running the risk of shaving yields. However, the 220-bushel corn he was combining Oct. 17 had received only 140 pounds of actual nitrogen.

“It used to be 1.2 pounds N per anticipated bushel of yield. Now the university agronomists recommend only 0.9 pounds N per bushel,” he said. “But we use even less because we’ve built up good nutrient levels in our soils over the years because of manure from the 400 head of cattle we feed out.”

Triple-stack hybrids automatic

Lilienthal wonders if modern-day hybrids aren’t more “energy efficient.” He points out that terrific genetics plus the stress-reducing effect of triple-stack hybrids gives farmers much more “environmental protection” than ever before.

When July and August turned hot and dry this season, Lilienthal was glad he had planted corn rootworm-resistant hybrids. “Keeping those roots healthy and intact means better corn, especially when Mother Nature turns off the showers and turns up the temperatures.”

They soil test extensively— every field and every soil type within a field — so there are no “hidden hunger” signs suddenly showing up in a particular field.

The Lilienthals raise 900 acres corn, 600 acres soybeans and this year 100 acres of sweet corn which did about 6.5 tons per acre. About one-fourth of his corn crop gets fed to his cattle, both silage and dry corn in Total Mixed Rations. He also delivers about one-fourth of his corn to the Heartland Corn Products ethanol facility at Winthrop. The balance goes to cash markets at the co-op plus the chicken barns of UFC and Michael Foods, two egg processors at Gaylord.

With that crop mix, Lilienthal has about 300 acres of corn-on-corn each season; those acres get a higher N application, 180 pounds actual nitrogen. That extra 40 pounds N is enough to keep his corn-on-corn yields comparable with his corn-after-soybean yields.

Hybrid selection is a critical part of Lilienthal’s success as a corn producer. A triple-stack hybrid, DeKalb 4327VT, was the hybrid being combined Oct. 17. He said producers need to do “farm testing” in their own fields to get the real measure of hybrid fit.

On-farm guidance

“But without guidance from your seed company agronomists and sales reps, you really don’t know where to start,” Lilienthal said. “It’s sort of like throwing darts at the wall. I really rely on my local seed corn reps because they know from the get-go that they’re history on my farm if they mislead me.”

He can’t buy from every seed company — DeKalb products are currently his major seed source — but he checks out new hybrids from a selected list of brand names every year. Thanks to a relationship with Gold Country Seed District Sales Manager Jim Christenson dating back to Christenson’s years with CropPlan Genetics, some GCS corn and soybean products are working into Lilienthal’s plans.

This year Gold Country 98-10VT got a try. It produced a 211-bushel yield so chances are there will be a few more units of 98-10 in 2009.

“Jim’s a down-to-earth sensible guy, plus he’s a world of knowledge,” Lilienthal said. “Because he’s a certified crop adviser, he’s really current on virtually all the inputs I need for my crops, not just my seed products. And I like the fact that he’s ready and wanting to walk my fields. That’s the kind of service I think we need to stay ahead of this game.”

Said Christenson: “Bruce and his family are terrific people. I really enjoy working with folks like them. And as long as I feel we can do some good for each other, I’ll do my best to be a growing partner with Bruce in his farming program.”

If that happens to be at least two pallets of seed (120 units) for 2009, Christenson knows he’s got a business partner that puts fun into this business of growing corn.

“You bet,” Lilienthal said. “Growing corn is getting to be more fun each year. This really has become a tremendously exciting new industry.” When seed companies talk 300-bushel yields by 2030, Lilienthal doesn’t question their ambition.

The Lilienthal family includes Stacy, a TV news reporter for KAAL in Austin; Christian, a University of Minnesota senior in the ag education program and past FFA state president; and Kevin, a senior at Sibley East High School in Arlington. Both sons plan on farming and all were big into 4-H and FFA.

        

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