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About Us
County Impact Statements - Jefferson County
First Year Corn Crop Proved to be Successful
Producers Donnie and Wes McNulty began farming some of their
family's ground that had been rented out to other tenants for the last several
years. The ground had been "farmed to death" and really needed to be built back
up nutrient and organic matter wise. Wes decided that he would grow corn on it.
The problem was, Wes had never grown corn before. With help from the county
Extension agent and state Extension specialists, Mr. McNulty had a successful
corn crop and will probably continue to grow corn as a part of his crop rotation
program.
My goal as a county agent was to assist Mr. McNulty in any way
possible to ensure that he had a good crop. Assistance was given by the use of
the U of A recommendations and diagnostic services. Numerous farm visits were
made to assist the producer with recommendations throughout the growing season.
After a misapplication of fertilizer, I made a visit, took tissue samples and
sent them to the U of A Diagnostic Lab. The mishap was corrected and the
fertilizer adjusted with another application. This enabled the producer to
overcome an important hurdle in corn production - good fertility.
Now the question is, "So what, he had a good corn crop?" To be
quite honest, Mr. McNulty ended up with an excellent corn crop. The average corn
crop in Jefferson County is usually around 150 dry weight bushels per acre. He
averaged 189 dry weight bushels per acre on the entire farm. This was much
better than raising an average crop of soybeans. Also, by growing corn the
producer was able to carry on his normal rice and soybean harvest. The first
year of corn fit his farming program as well as his wallet.
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County Agent, Brady Harmon, assisting with corn harvest. |
Impacts
- In tough agronomic times, producers learn that diversification helps
their bottom line.
- By growing alternative crops such as corn or milo, producers are able to
improve their soil.
- Through proper diagnostics such as soil and plant sampling, crops can
reach their full potential.
- Jefferson County Corn Demo yielded 189 dry weight bushels per acre.
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