How Farmers LOSE $$$ | 60 Inch Corn Plot

Dad loves to try new things here on the farm. This year's experiments were 60 inch corn test plot and crimping rye in the soybeans. Well, the yield results are in on the 60 inch test plot and the results aren't very good. You can see how all these factors can effect a farmer's profitability very quickly.
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Farmer on the Prairie
P. O. Box 244
Gifford, IL 61847
Farmer on the Prairie is about my life on our central Illinois farm. My name is Seth and I am a young farmer with the desire to get things done and to keep the farm running smoothly. The farm is 740 row crop acres and 100 acres of pasture. We run about 100 grass-fed cattle and 1500 meat birds a year. Throughout my videos, you will get to know Dad, MommaD, and Sister. My brothers Josiah and Luke help us whenever there is a big project so they can feel important. We also have a part time employee Ben who is the comic relief. Because so many different things happen on our farm, there is never a dull moment. So tap that Subscribe button and come along for the ride!

[@miketownsend6163]

Boys and their Toys....nothing wrong with having a little fun. All work and no play, well you know the rest. Love your videos Seth!!!!!!!!

[@farmerontheprairie]

Thank you

[@roberthall1287]

It would be nice to know the cost to plant and treat each plot. Only looking at the yield data only tells half of the story.

[@jeffreyworth5830]

Great job seth, i know your parents have to be proud of you and to have you working the farm

[@jamesconsolo6563]

Great video...you are a very hard working young man for sure. I'm sure your parents are very proud of their children!!

[@donaldgibson3121]

Good weather for harvest!

[@deepwoodguy2]

Hey Seth, i like your "Praying Mantis" style auger (at 5:07}, going to attack the grain bin. 😁😊... those bins are really up high , so stay safe up there. 👍👍

[@benedict_323]

I missed the intro; i enjoy your intro. I definitely couldn't run up those stairs like that especially when you can see right through them. Excellent view from inside the grain tank. The outro was unexpected but enjoyable to watch.

[@farmerontheprairie]

MommaD is reworking the intro since we had a fake copyright claim. Hopefully we'll have it back in the next video.

[@kenlynch6332]

Interesting numbers on the corn results. 🚜 🚜 🚜 🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🚜 🚜 🚜

[@angus9941]

Your dad must have a world of patience. During harvest if I walked in the shop and saw those burnouts all over my shop floor would lose it.

[@steveadams99708]

Boys and their toys - there is a little cowboy in everyone. Love the videos Seth.

[@farmerontheprairie]

Thank you

[@Robe999]

Hi Seth , Love the Videos , super Impressed with your Hard work Ethic , Farmers just don,t get the credit or the money they deserve , I just wish more kids would have this get up and go attitude , instead of sitting around with their heads buried in a screen and making excuses on how hard it is out there to get a job or work , Anyway sorry about the Rant , god bless , stay safe , the Doughnuts were Impressive , Lots of Respect from Perth Australia

[@farmerontheprairie]

Thank you

[@lewislindsey1946]

Seth, VERY, VERY good video; maybe one of the overall best videos you have ever done!

[@farmerontheprairie]

Thank you

[@bigmikes2140]

I thought farmers that did 60 inch rows planted cover crops between the rows for cattle after harvest. That was the offset to yield loss

[@robynmorris2408]

The 192 bushels per acre seemed like a good yield to me, is it? Beautiful birds eye view from up top, great to see how the header works, hope you get it fixed after supper.

[@donready119]

Looks like a Westfield grain auger. I have a 40 year old, still works great. I did drill and inject grease into all the sealed bearings to extend their life.

[@danielehnert4259]

Seat switch is on feeder circuit to something to check and if feeder house shaft speed sensor drops out can cause head to shutdown

[@billwhitman1529]

In order to accurately compare the 30-60 inch corn you also have to factor in cost(s). They are significant though I'm not sure $100/acre difference. Variety of seed, (need a genetically developed seed that is prone to 2 or more ears), fertilizer, cover crop application, etc. factor into the comparison.

[@farmerontheprairie]

The costs were about the same and the variety was better suited for 60”

[@billwhitman1529]

@@farmerontheprairie you will probably want to follow IowanFarmer’s channel who is running a similar test. I have been following this experiment for 3 years now and a factor is the difference in cost of production.

[@karlrovey]

​@@billwhitman1529 Isn't it standard to double planting population when planting 60 inch rows?

[@billwhitman1529]

@@karlrovey I don't know about doubling, but the primary goal, (I assume) is two ears per stalk and bigger ears. That along with less input cost improves the margin.

[@kevinmiller5495]

Hey I gotta ask a few questions about the 60” corn. First where are you located? Was this hybrid more determinate than flexible? What was the population? Did you experience weed pressure? Did you expect a higher yield? Were there other goals in mind (cover/companion crop/grazing opportunities)? Sorry just very anxious to try my own 60” corn and don’t like your findings lol.

[@scotthaase2080]

60's take some attention to detail. Mine failed pretty bad in 2019 but yielded the same as adjacent 30's in 2020. Great cover crop growth could have brought extra revenue from grazing and will certainly give a boost to soil health, structure, and water infiltration regardless.

[@donready119]

Thanks for this. Looks like a great operation. Please get some hearing protection!

[@brownhousefarm]

How much less seed did you put out for the 60”? Did you use a flex ear corn?

[@dougdiplacido2406]

Hi Seth. Great video. Learning all the time from you. What is the silo or container in the recessed pit lined with black rubber? You have a clever way of sweeping the garage floor.

[@farmerontheprairie]

Nitrogen storage surrounded by a containment area.

[@tomaszsz8933]

👍👍👍greets from Poland

[@farmerontheprairie]

Love having you here.

[@damjord]

The 1466 is a real beast and it sounds amazing! I've never operated a 66 series IH, but the positioning of the hand throttle by the IH engineers would have me raging after just 5 minutes. Was there ever a foot throttle provided by an after market company for these tractors? I imagine it wouldn't be difficult to do and it would sure make them much nicer to operate.

[@damjord]

@@farmerontheprairie I thought I was just giving my opinion rather than criticizing...I mean I did praise the tractor. Apparently IH did offer a foot accelerator for the 66 series according to this link - www.redpowermagazine.com/forums/topic/11051-accelerator-pedal-on-1466/ And judging by the comments most folk seemed to think it was very useful to have. But each to their own. Anyway I'll add this problem to the long list of problems I already have and I'll remember to keep my opinions to myself on this channel going forward.

[@farmerontheprairie]

I guess I didn't phrase that very well. Everyone does have their own opinions and that's a good thing. It's what makes the world an interesting place. Since I have grown up driving the 1466, it's just natural to me. And your opinion is always welcome.

[@Bortnoone]

Hope you saw that you got a mention from Jan on Sask Dutchkid. I really like his channel as well as yours

[@farmerontheprairie]

Yeah, I saw it. He's a great guy!

[@kevinklingner3098]

I used to find it was mostly fun and enjoyable to me.the only exception was sqabble among the family.l used to end up walking away. Nor did l like dragging out desisions that need to be made having worked around and on most brands l always had in my mind what i needed before l spoke to dad and brothers who were home.

[@kevinklingner3098]

One would only use wside row spacings if the area is one that has lesser rainfull and that is an issue for closer rows and heavier plantings.

[@alan30189]

Have you ever worked with Pioneer? I understand they will come out and do test plots of different types of corn and see which grows best in your area and soil conditions. Why did you try 60", as opposed to trying 40" or 50"? Seed producers probably know the ideal spacing, but a lot depends on soil conditions. It's cool to see how you fill the grain bins. That spreader mechanism at the top is pretty slick. I'd like to see a shot of the corn going down in the bin.

[@angus9941]

Pioneer treats us very well here in Manitoba’s intrelake

[@christinecortese9973]

Well it's pretty clear you won't be planting 60" corn next year. Live and learn. Sometimes the lesson really hurts but those are the ones that stick with you.

[@chrisbea49]

Experimenting not the problem. Experimenting too little maybe. Inter-seed a variety of stuff then graze your cows on it.

[@hardcoreplayafromthehimala4888]

That 60 is slowing your speed.

[@Chris-ed5zj]

Why don’t you have any John Deere just curious but I like older cases like yours too

[@randaljohnson580]

Check your seat you might be setting to high need some weight to activate the switch happen to me.

[@coyroberts8356]

Cool. Got milk?

[@deannelson9565]

60 inch corn....did you interseed a cover crop? Otherwise if your just planting it normally your going the wrong damn direction.

[@leroydeichman2899]

60” rows done right will produce as much or more corn than 30” rows done right. Chapter 2 of the book I referenced at the bottom of this thread says CAREFULLY select hybrids for your specific conditions in your new light enriched production environment and plant in twin rows. Specifics are given. The other chapters explain why this can be accomplished. In a nutshell, more uniform reception of incident sunlight by all of the chloroplasts instead of those near the top of the plant greatly increases the production of photosynthates. A great example of synergies in action. Our original results of this system were validated by the issuance of US Patent 6052941 (see claims 1 - 4 and yield tables 1 - 14 ) and Replicated by 3rd Party Peer Review study e.g. Table 2, Nelson, K.E. Vol. 106(5) Agronomy Journal. The Solar Corridor Crop System: Implementation and Impacts 1st Edition offers around 60 pages of online preview before you need to make a decision to purchase it. While Science Direct link gives abstracts of each chapter.

[@jimkruszka3817]

was that Sisters' quad?

[@farmerontheprairie]

Nope, it's mine!

[@dimduk]

Donuts are good for you!

[@louisdujardin6409]

In north of France, we have better results with 18 or 20"

[@markschmidt8191]

Can we see what you do at your other day job?

[@farmerontheprairie]

Currently not at the other job during harvest, but will return to it afterward.

[@idahomusic]

What is in the white holding tank with the plastic all around it?

[@farmerontheprairie]

Nitrogen storage surrounded by a containment area.

[@timothyshepodd7826]

With all your infrastructure/fuel/labor costs, hard to see how you make $2! Blessings.

[@CanfieldFamilyFarm]

We own a Drago 6 row corn head

[@gregmiller1643]

What is the difference in input costs/acre for the 60" corn?

[@farmerontheprairie]

None.

[@billwhitman1529]

@@farmerontheprairie the fertilizer has to be applied within 6” of the row, preferably less and less cost per acre than if you fertilize the entire 60” in between rows, while the seed population is higher, it isn’t 34,000 ops higher. Both of these factors alone reduce production costs.

[@billwhitman1529]

@@farmerontheprairie this is not to say that I don’t appreciate your effort to experiment. I applaud it. Keep refining until you can make a factual and objective decision on what works for your farm.

[@SuburbanDon]

Your title should be Mechanic-Farmer.

[@augustsylny]

What seedingrate have you used in 30" and 60" corn?

[@benhesterly462]

I'm not a farmer, so if your loss is that much with 60" corn, why not closer rows?

[@farmerontheprairie]

Not doing it again! It was an experiment. Dad likes to try new things.

[@DeepanchakravarthiK]

@@farmerontheprairie is 60 inch profitable?

[@icebabysnocain]

I see a wannabee drifter. Peace.

[@johnwarren-649]

What was the population on you're 60" corn?

[@zmanjackson1888]

I wouldn't give up on 60" corn just yet. A lot of factors can influence the yield.

[@johnwarren-649]

@@zmanjackson1888 I agree every year is different every hybrid acts different. But I'd up my population up to 40-45

[@MrMagnum7220]

Way too much room. I’m doing twin row corn and doing 33,000 population. I like it. 36” corn is far enough apart

[@LtColDaddy71]

I’m going to do some small scale experiments next year. Planting green into alfalfa and relaying alongside soybeans, yellow peas, pintos.

[@bootlegger3656]

I have to ask . You do a good job on the spin outs but have you taught sister how to do a burn out yet ?

[@farmerontheprairie]

Nope, not planning to either.

[@bootlegger3656]

@@farmerontheprairie ROFL ahhh come on man you got to teach her .

[@TpayneD]

snouts, not snoots

[@leroydeichman2899]

Just saw this. With the right variety, twin rows every 60 - 72” with same in row spacing consistently produced as much or more corn than 30 - 36” state of the art rows in our studies. The reasons why this occurs is explained in the 1st Edition, Solar Corridor Crop System: Implementation and Impacts, Deichman & Kremer, Elsevier Academic Press.

[@milanbrakus8704]

Sine uvodni lanci ti ne stoje dobro.