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Summary

Recently developed corn varieties have the potential to make 500 bushels per acre. The newly proven UGA research to economically produce 300 bushel corn per acre will give farmers more net farm income.

Situation

The farmers in Baker County and Southwest Georgia are primarily producing cotton and peanuts. Corn production at the current 200 bushel yield generally does not economically compete with 1200 pound cotton or 5000 pound peanuts. If farmers could produce 300 bushel corn per acre then corn would compete with cotton as a rotational crop with peanuts. The corn acreage that Baker County farmers and farmers in Southwest Georgia can grow is limited by the infrastructure to handle corn at harvest. Many farmers waited in line all day to unload one semi-truck of corn. This lack of ability to unload corn has to be addressed to grow more corn acreage in S.W. Georgia.

Response

The Baker County Extension office organized a high yield corn production meeting and had the UGA Corn Agronomist, Dewey Lee, to present the latest advances in corn production. Baker County had over 90 farmers attend this meeting. The annual Corn Production short course, sponsored by the Georgia Corn Producers Association, was advertised and 15 Baker County farmers attended. The increased production expense and the increased irrigation requirement to produce 300 bushel corn compared to 200 bushel corn had to be addressed. The extra expense in 2013 to produce 300 bushel corn per acre compared to 200 bushel corn per acre was estimated to be 255 dollars per acre. With this information four Baker County farmers committed to grow a combined 1490 acres of corn using the UGA 300 bushel corn program.

Impact

The 2013 irrigated corn production season was one of the worst in recent history. There was record setting rainfall and cooler temperatures that lowered the yield of irrigated corn. The result of the 2013 baker County 300 bushel corn program was an increase of 46 bushels per acre over the traditional 200 bushel program. The 300 bushel program spent an extra 255 dollars per acre to sell an extra 322 dollars per acre of corn. The average increase net income for this 300 bushel corn program was 67 dollars per acre over the traditional 200 bushel corn program. All farmers were questioned after all the corn was sold and the crop was over. Was the UGA 300 bushel corn program worth it on your farm? Every farmer answered; yes, they wished they had done this earlier and they wanted to continue this next year. Farmers felt that in a normal growing season they could sell 300 bushels per acre and that would increase their net income substantially. There were several new on farm storage and handling facilities built in Baker County to grow more corn in the future. There were two farmer owned corn storage and buying points built in Arlington, Ga. and Leary, Ga. to handle corn at harvest.

State Issue

Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability

Details

  • Year: 2013
  • Geographic Scope: County
  • County: Baker
  • Program Areas:
    • Agriculture & Natural Resources

Author

  • Jordan, E Lanier

Collaborator(s)

CAES Collaborator(s)

  • Lee, R. Dewey
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