QUEENSTOWN, Md. — For Maryland farmer Drew Haines of Middletown, the third time is a charm in the National Corn Yield Contest. Haines, who took second the past two years in the non-irrigated division, placed first this year in the no-till non-irrigated division with a yield of 366.287 using DEKALB variety DKC60-88RIB. Haines also achieved a new state record with this high yield.
One key difference in his success this year of extreme weather was using no-till on the field. While his fields that were tilled looked good at emergence, the fields held so much water after heavy rains that they did not perform as well throughout the season. He also split his nitrogen applications multiple times season to ensure his crop had the nutrients it needed and they weren’t washed away with the rain.
“We top dressed two extra times because we felt that we had to keep replenishing,” he said.
Additional foliar applications were used this year as well. For foliar applications Haines uses a sugar enhanced product, one custom mixed from AgExplore referred to as nectar, and another of his home brews he calls dill weed juice.
The dill weed juice is applied pre-tassel and at brown silk, which he claims super charges the plant for a higher test weight and keeps the plant alive longer. The home brew was created after years of experimenting with sweet corn out in the garden using a backpack sprayer.
“After coming back from Commodity Classic last year, a lot of guys were encouraging the use of a sugar enhanced product,” Haines said. “We called out to AgExplore owner Barry Aycock to find out how to make it easier, and they custom mixed one for me that we call nectar. We applied in furrow and foliar which helps the microbials in the soil break down residue. It also helps glyphosate stick to the plant. We applied it on soybeans and found that it helped keep insects off the plant and prevent disease.”
Another difference for Haines this year was the variety grown. In partnership with DEKALB, Haines has conducted annual variety trials on his field for the past four years. The DKC60-88RIB variety performed well in the variety trial so he moved it out to the field. Haines finds the variety trials beneficial because it allows him to see what works best on his soils.
Haines shared that even he himself was shocked find out about his record-breaking yield. Haines underwent open-heart surgery this fall and had a doctor’s appointment the day this particular field was harvested. After returning from his appointment, his brother and son who were harvesting the field shared the 366 yield with him.
“I was just tickled to death that they were able to do that for me,” Haines said, joking that he should let them harvest all the contest fields.
For more than half of a century, NCGA’s National Corn Yield Contest has provided corn growers the opportunity to compete with their colleagues to grow the most corn per acre, helping feed and fuel the world. This has given participants not only the recognition they deserved but the opportunity to learn from their peers.
Winners receive national recognition in publications such as the NCYC Corn Yield Guide, as well as cash, trips or other awards from participating sponsoring seedand crop protection companies. The winners, including Haines, will be honored during Commodity Classic 2019 in Orlando.
For the complete list of national and state winners, visit the National Corn Growers Association website at www.ncga.com. For more information, contact the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board at 443-262-8491 or danielle.mdag@gmail.com.
— Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board