Why should we "commit" to corn in the Southern cropping rotation?

Rotation

Crop rotation is a practice that is old as time. Rotating crops builds the ground, helps with weed control and weed resistance, breaks disease cycles and also ADDS YIELD to the following crop. Many growers testify to a 150 to 200 pound yield increase for cotton following corn and an 8 to 10 bushel increase for soybeans.

Water Conservation

Somewhat surprisingly, over the last few years, much of the interest in corn production has come from traditional rice production areas. Corn (and soybeans too) uses approximately 24 inches of water in the growing season. Fortunately, if we get the crop planted timely, much of this water requirement may come in the form of spring and early summer rainfall leaving us to irrigate as a supplement to rainfall. Growers are reporting that it is taking 40% of the water that they would use to irrigate rice to irrigate corn. This is a huge savings in pumping costs and dramatic water conservation.

Equipment and Labor Utilization

Corn planting starts first, therefore allowing growers to get in the field and get a significant amount of the acres planted before other crops. Generally southern growers can begin planting corn by mid March. Also, since corn is “first in” it is “first out”. Growers that get their corn planted in March can expect to be harvesting corn in early to mid August, generally ahead of the early beans and rice. An early corn harvest allows growers to do fall field work, plant wheat or do land leveling projects in the fall while the fields are dry.

Market Demand

As the world population continues to grow, so does the demand for FOOD, FEED and FUEL. Corn demand is expected to double by the year 2030. Technology and yield improvements will help with meeting the increased demand, but additional acres will be required to meet demand.

Balance

Remember the old story about the tortoise and the hare? The temptation is modern day agriculture is to try and out guess the market and “swing for the fence”. Even the best sluggers in baseball strike out more than they get a hit, much less get a home run. Most often, the slow, steady, consistent approach is what will win in the long haul. Balance your rotation — Corn/Beans/Rice; Corn/Beans, Cotton; Corn/Cotton, whatever works best for you.

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