Hedrick has seen the benefits of cover crops, grazing livestock, and using manure on his ground, starting with 1.7% organic matter in the 2012 season and increasing to 8.2% by 2022.
“For every one percent increase of organic matter, I’m boosting my water holding capacity to about 25,000 to 27,000 gallons,” he explained. “That means I have the ability now versus 10 years ago to hold another seven acre inches of moisture in the top six inches. Based on corn using ¼ inch of moisture a day during vegetative growth, that is 24 days longer I can go without rain than my neighbor without adding drought stress. And if we’re not stressing the plant, we’re putting on maximized yield.”
The 2022 North Carolina Corn Yield Contest Dryland Division winner set what many believe to be a world-record dryland yield with 459.51 bushels per acre in Catawba County, North Carolina. A first-generation farmer, Hedrick has gone from fighting fires to lining up speaking engagements with agricultural audiences around the world over the last decade.
For a productive growing season, a corn plant’s brace roots are essential. Brace roots serve as an anchor, while also contributing to nutrient and water uptake. For healthy brace roots, quality genetics and planting standards are needed. Combining AgVenture seed with the Maximum Profit System™ planting standards will set you up for success and strong brace roots.
The status of corn is an interesting one even after most have caught some rain. The wind and/or hail issues that ran through several states left corn beat up and laid down. Across Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois, it is tasseling or will be within the next week or two. Corn is very short with shorter than normal internodes.
By Cutting Edge Consulting, a team of agronomists contracted by AgVenture, Inc. As we sit today, we are still in the first quarter of the game with this crop. In that first quarter, it is imperative to set yourself up for success. A team comes into a game...
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- Kansas Farmer
“An AgVenture Yield Specialist showed me what my yields could be with AgVenture seed and I thought they were impossible because they were so good.”