Ron Heiniger has proclaimed 2016 as “the year of the corn” because he believes this is the year North Carolina farmers will make a statewide record yield of 150 bushels per acre.
Ron Heiniger is forecasting a statewide record corn yield of 150 bushel to the acre this year.
“I’m saying right here today we are going to have a statewide record corn yield of 150 bushel to the acre. That means we have to have good corn not just in one part of the state, but every place in the state. Furthermore, I’m going to say that somebody in this state, probably sitting in this room quite frankly, is going to make 400 bushels per acre corn and record it in a yield contest,” said Heiniger, the North Carolina State University Extension corn specialist at an Extension Road Show production meeting at the Vernon James Research and Extension Center in Plymouth January 28.
At the meeting, Heiniger laid out his evidence for why he believes 2016 will be a record year for corn farmers in North Carolina. The main driving factor, Heiniger stressed, is the El Nino weather pattern which should make for ideal corn growing conditions in the state.
“The weather forecast is money in the bank right now. This is an El Nino season,” Heiniger said.
El Nino means warm temperatures in the central Pacific and it impacts the weather globally. For North Carolina, it makes for a wet, cool fall and winter extreme, an extreme warm and dry spring and an extreme dry late summer. For corn, this is a good thing, Heiniger said.
“One of the most difficult things we deal with in corn in North Carolina is getting it in the ground. It’s wet and it’s cold. It’s been that way for the last six seven years, yet we made decent crops,” Heiniger said.” If we ever could get a decent spring, where we could get corn in the ground and get it up uniformly and off to a great start, then look at what we can do with yield. Well, this is the year to do it because that’s what’s heading our way is a warmer, dryer spring.”
In fact, Heiniger sees a warm and dry April and May in North Carolina which is perfect corn planting weather. “I think it gives way to an ideal June,” he said. “Pick up that rain in June all the way to pollination in corn, perfect corn growing weather. And then, finally it turns hot and dry in July into August when you’re going to be picking your corn, hopefully.”
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