By Mike Surbrugg

msurbrugg@joplinglobe.com

PARSONS, Kan. — “A corn crop looks best when it’s in the bin,” said Jim Long

About 30 years ago, corn was grown on 30,000 acres in 14 Southeast Kansas counties; that has swelled to 300,000 acres today, said Long, speaking at the Grain Production Field Day held Sept. 25 at Kansas State University’s research center at Parsons. Long is the center’s crop variety development agronomist.

The increase in corn acres can be credited to improved short-season varieties and to economic factors. The increase in corn acres also meant less land in milo or grass.

Many farmers in Southeast Kansas have land suited to grow grain and grass and most have both.

Research continues to support planting corn in late March through the middle of April, Long explained.

“We got away with planting much later this year thanks to summer rain and a cool August,” he said.

Long cited a 2002 study when one corn variety was planted on March 28 and more of that same variety was planted on April 27. The corn planted in March averaged 126 bushels per acre while the later planting averaged 68 bushels, he said.

The goal is to plant short-season maturing corn in March. Corn plants silk by the third week of June and corn begins to dent in late July, Long said.

Southeast Kansas studies show 24,000 plants per acre are sufficient for good corn yields. To get this, farmers need to plant 27,000 seeds per acre.

There are preliminary trials that show the potential for a 10 percent higher yield when using fungicides even without disease pressure, he said. The study is to be continued to follow the trend and to determine why fungicides are having an impact, he said.

“I do not recommend fungicides for all acres of corn in Southeast Kansas,” he added.

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Mike Surbrugg is The Joplin Globe’s farm editor.