OUTLOOK, Sask. – An irrigation agrologist predicts a decent silage corn crop for Saskatchewan this year.
Les Bohrson of the Irrigation Crop Diversification Centre told farmers at a recent field day that he based his prediction on when corn crops dropped their pollen, which he called a critical measurement in Saskatchewan.
“Everything you do to make that crop happens before that; then everything that improves the quality of that feed accrues afterwards,” he told farmers at the corporation’s centre in Outlook.
“If we can achieve our date of tasseling and dropping pollen onto the fresh silk about Aug.1 or slightly earlier (that’s what we want).”
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Bohrson monitored 40 corn fields in Saskatchewan this year: 20 on each side of the Trans-Canada Highway.
On average, pollen dropped on Aug. 8 in southern fields and Aug. 13 in northern fields.
“That’s 10 days to two weeks later than the ideal if we were trying to produce grain corn. We’re still expecting really good opportunities for silage up here,” he said.
“The overall status and growing conditions of this year’s crop have been very good. The crop is tall. Over many of the fields, the average is about 28,000 plants per acre. Most were hoping for a bit higher, seeding 30,000 or 32,000, but that’s still acceptable and has set up some interesting corn opportunities for harvest.”
Terry Hogg, a federal crop and soils agronomist in Outlook, said part of the centre’s work includes Alberta Corn Committee hybrid silage and grain corn performance trials to see how different corn hybrids respond in different climatic areas.
“For many years, they only had sites in Alberta. In 1973, Outlook was brought in as the only Saskatchewan site, joining Alberta sites at Lethbridge, Brooks, Vauxhall, Bow Island and Lacombe,” Hogg said.
All corn companies are invited to submit varieties to be tested, with specific protocols required for silage corn and other protocols for grain corn.
“Silage trials are grown in two rows, at about 30,000 plants per acre, with adequate fertility,” Hogg said.
“That means at least 250 pounds of nitrogen and 60 lb. of phosphate per acre.”
Grain corn is grown in four rows, with only the middle two rows harvested for yield results.
Hogg said for 2005, 30 silage varieties from eight companies are in the trial, with corn heat unit ratings ranging from 2,000 to 7,000. In the grain corn trial, six varieties from five companies are being tested, with CHUs ranging from 2,150 to 2,300. Typically, he said, Outlook receives 2,300 to 2,400 CHUs per year.
“In 2003 it was hot, with an excess of 2,500 CHU. Silage yields ranged from 7.4 to 12.2 tonnes per acre of dry matter. In 2004, just barely breaking 2,000 CHU, yields were from 4.4 to 6.8 tonnes per acre of dry matter. Grain in 2003 varied from 148 to 192 bushels per acre, while 2004 went from 30 to 66 bu. That grain we did produce (in 2004) was horrid., so that shows the variability you can have.”
Bohrson said the objective is to determine growing conditions that will produce about 400 lb. of dry matter on every acre per day, which represents one to two percent of the total yield of the crop being synthesized every day.
“So every good day we get, we’re looking at that crop getting two percent bigger. If we can put in another 15 or 20 days of decent weather, we’re looking at putting in another 25 percent into the silage pits from fields like this,” he said.
“That will all be cob – grain – a high percentage energy. That will turn a field like this, which is presently close to barley quality if it were harvested today (Sept. 13), into way ahead of barley in quality and yield. Harvested last week, it would probably be more like oats.”
He said it’s important to receive more good growing days before a killing frost and not to rush the silage wagon into the field when the crop’s moisture content is too high.
“The crop will naturally drop in moisture content when the grain fills and reaches physiological maturity,” he said.
“The grain fraction will almost be 50 percent of the total weight in the field. As that drops down to 35 percent moisture, it brings the rest of that plant’s net moisture from 85 percent down to closer to 70.”
Sixty-eight percent is best, he added.
“Don’t rush the silage equipment out there unless you have a burning urge to get it done.”
While the biggest opportunity in Saskatchewan appears to be in silage corn, farmers in some areas will end up combining their corn.
“There will be a little bit done in the Moose Jaw area and south, but primarily we’ll be looking at a significant grazing acreage and a significant amount of silage for the dairy and beef operations that are growing corn.”
Rick Swenson, who farms at Baildon near Moose Jaw, expects to combine.
“Given what I’d seen in the Chicago marketplace, corn looked like a paying proposition,” he said.
“But I also run a cow-calf operation and have been winter grazing corn for six years. It seemed to make sense that if we could combine it and also use the stover, you were getting an extra bang for your buck.”
Swenson’s research found that Saskatchewan imports at least 150,000 bushels of corn a year. Users include feed mills, the feather industry, pelleting plants and the bird seed industry.
He said the trick is to receive at least $3 a bushel, which can be tough. Swenson shoots for a net return of $200 to $250 an acre.
“My corn that I combined in 2003 averaged $112. We had a low of $75.76 and a high of $147. This year we’ll be doing 75 acres of mostly T71. I’m optimistic. If I can net back $200 an acre and I’ve got a couple of months in the winter with the cows out on it, then I think I’ve done pretty good.”
