Growing Corn

Field Studies: Replicated Comparisons vs. Side-by-Side Comparisons

How should a basic study be set up or laid out in the field? One very common approach is to divide a field in half and compare the halves or possibly compare two fields in close proximity and see which variety or practice yields highest. This approach can end with very misleading results because of the variability that exists across a field or fields due to many factors.

Field Studies: What do You Mean 5 Bushels Per Acre is Not Significant?

Utilizing sound research results to help make decisions on the farm is a wise business practice. It can be confusing, however, when you see two numbers that are clearly not the same labeled as “not significantly different.”

Field Studies: Setting up a Trial

Increasingly, farmers are generating on-farm research data that encompasses a wide-range of practical topics. However, setting up those experiments so that the data is statistically valid is not necessarily common knowledge.

South Dakota Land Use Trends (2012-2017)

Significant education efforts for natural resource conservation have occurred in South Dakota during the last five years. Many stakeholder groups have brought awareness for soil health and water quality to the forefront.

SDSU Research Shows Effects Of Volunteer Corn In Corn And Soybeans

In 2007, researchers at South Dakota State University indicated that volunteer corn is much less competitive in corn than soybean. The South Dakota study (Alms et al. 2007) evaluated the full season effect of a range of volunteer corn densities (800-14,000 plants/acre) on both corn and soybean and reported yield losses that ranged from 0% to 13% in corn and 0% to 54% in soybean.

Fallow Syndrome: What is it and how do I deal with it?

Fallow syndrome received its name from the dry plains states, where fields routinely benefited from the additional moisture available after a year where the ground was fallowed. Corn sometimes had symptoms of phosphorus deficiency when grown on this previously fallowed ground, thus it received its current name, “fallow syndrome.”

Summer 2020 Climate & Drought Outlook

August 12, 2020

With alternating cool and warm weather patterns throughout the last few months and the summer season ahead, temperature continues to be a challenge for climate forecasters in South Dakota.

Flowering in Corn

Corn is at or near the most critical growth condition. Successful flowering and pollination are very important in determining the fate of the kernel setting and development. This article summarizes the pollination process and the effects of dry, hot conditions on pollination.

Estimating Corn Yield in the Field

As a result of late planting and inconsistent weather, both in-field and across-field variations have been significant this year in South Dakota. Even on highly productive land, it is expected for corn yields to vary significantly. Estimating corn grain yield prior to harvest can help growers make management decisions, especially storage and marketing.

Corn Production Costs in the Northern Great Plains

Supply and demand regulates U.S. agricultural and non-agricultural markets all the time. Prices increase when scarcity of a certain item is anticipated. Similarly, prices drop if the market is saturated because of oversupply or there is a reduced demand for the product.