Management Considerations for Continuous Corn Production

Abstract

<p>Growing a corn crop after a previous crop of corn on the same ground requires special management. But we've done it before! In 1976, Iowa had around 14 million acres of corn and 6 1/2 million acres of soybean. That is about a 2:1 ratio. The ratio of corn to soybean in 2006 was 55:45 with nearly 13 million acres of corn. We can grow more corn. The question is how to do it without sacrificing yield. Although in some of the better years for growing corn and in some environments in those years yields are similar for corn following corn and corn following soybeans, we don't yet know how to duplicate this. In other words we know of no magic bullet or recipe that will allow us to repeatedly obtain similar yields in both systems. Certainly, understanding tillage, fertility, and equipment issues help us understand some of the limitations and potentials. Other speakers in this session address those areas. Here is a checklist of some other things to think about:</p>