Should corn silage get extra N?
That was the question to be answered in a 4 year IL study involving continuous corn, corn-soybean rotations, and varying rates of N. 1) Silage yield and crude protein were higher in Sb-C than in C-C rotations. 2) Silage yield and crude protein rose in both rotations up to 180 lbs. of N. 3) Neutral detergent fiber decreased in both rotations with increasing N rates. 4) Results were minimal or inconsistent for other silage quality parameters. • Delayed weed control means lost corn yield to weed specialist Bob Hartzler at Iowa St. Early season weed competition reduced the biomass of the ear shoot up to 85%. He says allowing weeds to compete for an additional week when corn was growing from V4 to V5 resulted in a 63% increase in lost yield because ear shoots begin at the V5 stage. Read his analysis at: http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/mgmt/2009/toolong.pdf . • If non-GMO soybean premiums have caught your attention, please, please remember that Roundup is not an option for weed control. Some fa
