Crop Prospects

Posted on by Ken Washburn
I have found several factors which are dramatically influencing crop yields this year:


  1. Corn variety


  2. Planting date


  3. CEC of the soil


  4. P&K soil fertility values


  5. Planting depth


  6. Previous crop


  7. Amount of rainfall received (April thru present) and sub-soil moisture availability


Currently, many farmers are interested in determining their expected corn yield for the 2012 crop.  I would use the following modified Illinois formula to make a corn yield estimation.


                Yield = avg. ear size (girth x length) x no. of ears per .001 A x 0.0112

                 = 16 rows x 32 (kernel length) x 31 x .0112 = 177.8 Bu/A


The formula is ok for a normal growing season, but this year I would add an additional component to the basic formula to compensate for the lack of kernel depth.  This component would be based on current crop status:


            Crop Status                 Component

            Fair to Good                        0.8

            Poor                                      0.7

            Very Poor                             0.6

            Extremely Poor                   0.5