Estimating drydown rates and determining when to harvest corn for dry grain storage.

When Nick Viney partnered with Josh Trautman to form Badgerland Grain Farms LLC in 2006, they started with just 155 acres in south-central Wisconsin. But during the last 7 years, they've grown their Evansville, Wis.-based operation to more than 1,800 acres, an even split of strip-till corn and no-till soybeans, with about 180 acres of no-till wheat.

Corn is now in the seed filling growth stages (R2-R5) when nutrient demands are put on plant leaves as the seed kernels develop. At R2 blister stage, approximately 75% of the corn plant’s required nitrogen (N) is in the plant.

Goss's wilt of corn often is most severe after fields are exposed to high winds and/or hail damage, because the causal bacterium readily infects corn leaves through wounds.

In 2011, the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM) funded our proposal to evaluate six cover crop combinations in three different tillage systems at WK Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

The spring rains that have improved soil moisture conditions in many areas have been welcomed as favoring a return to more normal corn yields in 2013 following the drought of a year ago. At the same time, persistent and heavy precipitation (including snow in northern areas) that has delayed the start to corn planting raise concerns that late planting will have a negative impact on yield potential.

A historical analysis of corn research shows that new hybrids are taking up more nitrogen than older plant varieties after the crucial flowering stage, a clue as to how plant scientists will need to adapt plants to increase yields.

After strip-tilling corn on soybeans for the first time 6 years ago, Newton, Iowa, farmer Will Cannon tried strip-tilling corn-on-corn in his second season and has continued ever since.

With the New Year just a few days away, it's natural to reflect on the past year and what lies ahead. What did you learn from strip-tilling this past year, and what do you want to accomplish in 2013?

When it comes to saving money, strip-tiller David Legvold has a nugget to share. After the Northfield, Minn., strip-tiller shared results of the research on nitrogen response in strip-tilled corn that he completed in 2012, I asked about his fuel use for strip-till vs. conventional tillage.