How many of you gardeners out there curl up in the blustery months of winter with a seed catalogue or two, dreaming about spring? Grain farmers go through a similar process during this period, with much more at stake than finding the right shade of sweet pea or heirloom tomato. In this installment of our farm review we will examine corn, which is just starting to show up in local food stands and farmers’ markets. How does this summer staple compare to the corn crops we see in fields across our township and beyond?
There are many types of corn, but they can be divided into 2 categories based on how they will be used: sweet corn is consumed as a vegetable, while field or cattle corn (sometimes called “dent” corn for the dent apparent in mature kernels) is used primarily for animal feed, converted into cereal, oil, syrup or cornmeal like the dusting found on pizza crusts, as well as the production of ethanol. According to website www.Farmflavor.com , 99% of corn grown in the US (and by extension similar in Canada) is the field or cattle type so we will focus on this crop.
When you compare sweet and field corn, it is easy to tell the difference- look at the height difference in the accompanying photos taken July 18th. Sweet corn is harvested when the kernels are in their most sugary state and is best consumed within hours of harvest before the sugar in the kernels convert to starch. There are three Sweet corn categories: normal, sugar enhanced and super sweet. The sweeter varieties hold up for up to 2 weeks after harvest, but in any case sweet corn is best consumed soon after harvest. The local season for sweet corn begins in late July and runs to early September with the growing season ranging from 64 to over 90 days depending on the variety.
What kind of factors do farmers consider around the kitchen table when they are selecting their field corn seed? According to Dr. Joe Lauer of the University of Wisconsin, the hybrid selection is the second most important factor in corn yields, and one that farmers can control. (Weather is the most important.) www.realagriculture.com This means picking the right seed for each field, depending on the soil characteristics, what was planted there last year, how soon that field will be planted, etc. There are plenty of resources to check, and farmers look for research conducted by independent sources such as universities using multiple locations and demonstrating consistent results. Many farmers also rely on crop consultants and of course their farming neighbours. Another factor is seed cost: purchases made mid-November often receive substantial discounts of up to 10%, which is real savings. Another key decision is row spacing, which ranges from 15” to 38” for traditional methods, and less for twin row planting which was discussed in our Farm Technology article featuring the Suurd family in our June 6th edition.
The next critical component in determining the success of a corn crop is when the seed is planted. If you think you are anxious to get your hands dirty planting your peas, just imagine the impatience farmers feel come April as they wait for fields to dry out and warm up so their seed can get off to a good start. Ideally corn is planted in late April or early May, but by May 15th, the ideal planting window is closing. The reason for this is the pollination period for corn, which is critical to crop development. Late planting moves pollination into mid-July, when temperatures often soar and rain is scarce. This means plants are stressed, so yields can fall considerably. If farmers expect a late spring and have not committed to a specific seed, they can be partially offset the late start by choosing an early seed variety which matures more quickly. So many decisions, and we haven’t even talked about fertilizer!
At harvest, corn can be combined, where the kernels are removed and the stalks and husks discarded. In order to be stored without risk of fermentation, kernels must be dried so that they have less than 20% moisture content. That is why you sometimes see corn still standing into the December- it is drying naturally (unless it becomes knocked down in a snow storm). Farmers who harvest earlier usually have to dry their crop using gas or electric dryers, which can add a considerable cost. When corn is harvested as silage, the whole plant is chopped and stored in an air-tight container where it ferments and is used as a feed primarily for dairy cattle, providing nutrients as well as “roughage”. Corn is sometimes harvested as silage when drought conditions have inhibited the development of the kernels. http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G2061
The profitability of a crop depends not only on the costs incurred and the quantity produced, but also on the price the farmer receives. The price for corn, as for all commodities, is set in world markets, so corn growers must look beyond the local conditions to get a sense of what price they can expect when they sell their crop. If they have storage capacity, they can hold off selling if they think prices are going to rise, whereas farmers without the ability to store take their crop directly to the feed mill and receive the going price that day. This year, crops in eastern Canada and the US were planted late due to weather, with more than 30% of corn planted after May 15th. Weekly crop reports coming from the US have suggested that the wet weather in the corn belt has delayed or even washed out crops which were already planted late, suggesting lower crop potential which would normally mean higher prices. But rational thoughts aside, last week corn prices dropped 20% at Cargill’s Iowa processor, starting the week at $7.06 a bushel on Monday and falling to $5.57 on Friday, as farmers holding onto last year’s crop were selling it to take advantage of this price bump. www.reuters.com You can see it takes nerves of steel to make the decision to sell or “stay”, as prices move daily based on factors well outside a farmer’s control.
Another factor affecting price is the growth of ethanol production. This renewable fuel is produced by converting grain, primarily corn, by fermentation.
Most gas stations today offer fuel containing up to 10% ethanol by volume. Because it has increased the profitability of oil companies and is a gas additive required by law in the US, ethanol production is now the third largest demand source for corn after animal feed and export markets in the US http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID-328.pdf. What does this new use for corn do to the price of corn? More demand always pushes prices higher.
So let’s understand what our corn growing neighbours are doing: they are chemists who select the best seed for their fields; they are meteorologists who plant their crops at ideal moments; they are entomologists who protect their crops from insect predators; they are mechanics who operate and maintain complicated machinery; they are market analysts whose livings depends on international commodity prices; they are entrepreneurs whose hard work and critical decisions make or break their futures. They deserve our applause and admiration.
