Corn High Yield Checklist

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky uses this checklist at the beginning of all his meetings. 

There are several things that when done correctly will result in excellent corn yields.

Here is the checklist.



Corn High Yield Checklist
 

1. Productive soils (deep, adequate fertility, no compaction, excellent drainage)
2. Adequate, timely rainfall (or irrigation)
3. Using good genetics (high yielding, appropriate disease packages)
4. Rotating corn with other crops
5. Planting on time (good soil conditions and favorable forecasts may be more important than the calendar)
6. Using the appropriate populations
7. Applying adequate N (monitoring for losses, adjusting later if possible)
8. Capturing 95% sunlight at by about silking (R1 growth stage)
9. Getting excellent weed control (no trophy-hunting: this usually means removing in-crop weeds before they get to 6 inches in height)
10. Scouting for diseases and pests (make management decisions based on scouting and forecasts)

If all of these things are working for you, then high yields will follow. As producers plan for this coming season, compare your notes with the checklist. Are you doing all these things correctly and at the correct time? Do you have compaction issues or drainage issues? Do have soils more prone to drought? Think about what fields did really well and see how those practices compare to the ones here.