I looked at how the seed corn companies require irrigation due to the high value of the product, and figured it just made sense as an organic producer, to make the investment. We grow as much of the ultra high value stuff as we can get marketed, but even with corn and soybeans, it’s a great asset. We get the moisture here in black earth Illinois, but we don’t always get it right when we need it. As an organic producer who is also no till, and plants green, drip allows us to get the crop going. Prior to having drip, the plants always had a weak start. I save a ton on seed as well. Man, I don’t have to buy traits because a crop that’s never hungry and or thirsty just isn’t vulnerable. I can get 160-170 bpa open pollinated corn, and market that as seed. That’s a dollar per pound paycheck! I’m also having much better luck with ultra ultra short season varities. Guys I’m talking 200-210 bushel 75 day corn hybrids. We also went from 5-7k lbs / acre of biomass from cover crops that is eaten as cow chow directly, or stomped down to feed the soil, to up to 18k lbs per acre. The key is getting it down so you can do it yourself. The 1st thing we do when we buy new ground is put tandem bulldozers out, hooked together, and start making earth quakes with a big shank, to erase years of tillage damage. The 2nd step is putting in drip. I do happen to use a different brand, but none of it is bad.
I looked at how the seed corn companies require irrigation due to the high value of the product, and figured it just made sense as an organic producer, to make the investment. We grow as much of the ultra high value stuff as we can get marketed, but even with corn and soybeans, it’s a great asset.
We get the moisture here in black earth Illinois, but we don’t always get it right when we need it. As an organic producer who is also no till, and plants green, drip allows us to get the crop going. Prior to having drip, the plants always had a weak start.
I save a ton on seed as well. Man, I don’t have to buy traits because a crop that’s never hungry and or thirsty just isn’t vulnerable. I can get 160-170 bpa open pollinated corn, and market that as seed. That’s a dollar per pound paycheck!
I’m also having much better luck with ultra ultra short season varities. Guys I’m talking 200-210 bushel 75 day corn hybrids. We also went from 5-7k lbs / acre of biomass from cover crops that is eaten as cow chow directly, or stomped down to feed the soil, to up to 18k lbs per acre.
The key is getting it down so you can do it yourself. The 1st thing we do when we buy new ground is put tandem bulldozers out, hooked together, and start making earth quakes with a big shank, to erase years of tillage damage. The 2nd step is putting in drip.
I do happen to use a different brand, but none of it is bad.
wow this is very interesting! you should put some of this content on youtube for us to watch! would love to see the bulldozers working!