Y dropping corn planted into Alfalfa

Y dropping some corn planted mid may! Enjoy!
Welcome to Farming With Carp. This channel will show you the jobs that we do on our farm in Indiana each day. We are a regenerative organic farm that capitalizes on the uses of cover crops. We raise corn, soybeans, wheat, peas and alfalfa. We also have a growing herd of livestock on the farm that we graze across our acres. Come along for the ride!
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[@macster5187]

Just like planting corn in cover crops, you have to provide a little boost because highly vailable nutrients can be reduced. Most importantly though is having a clean path to sunlight. Corn will become stunted and never recover, permanent hormonal response shift and a different growth pattern. They have to have sun. In population studies Ive got corn going in at 5-7k lower pop where planted into green cover just to help reduce that stress level.

[@deanog8831]

Great channel! Curious if you have or are having issues with auto toxicity from the robust alfalfa? Let us know what if anything your farm does to mitigate through that potential issue. Thanks!

[@minnesotadairy1270]

How u kill off the alfalfa?

[@LtColDaddy71]

I hope it’s ok if I give a little background for the kids at home. We organic farmers can generate as much revenue to acre from an 80 bushel crop as a 200 bushel producer would make when corn is down in the $3’s. But our costs are way less. By the way, corn will drop back down to that level, it always does. It’s frustrating because as farmers, you want to do a good job. You take pride in a good looking, well managed crop. To be honest, a sick organic crop is going to provide the benefits of no toxic chemicals, but not the huge nutrient density / performance as a feed. I bought a little farm instead of a McMansion in the burbs, worked a very high paying off farm job, sank all my money back in to the farm, and put my off farm income in to the farm as well. I DIDN’T RISK THE POOR HOUSE! The risk is manageable for anyone. Legacy farms can prioritize these practices and incorporate them slowly over time, but it’s a lot like planting a forest for future generations to harvest. It gets easier and the yields do start getting big. You get a bank account built up below the ground, and your not pushing to get the fertility needed for the crop your going to plant, it’s about keeping the process going so as you take, your putting back as much as your taking. As you get new ground it’s going to require development. You get really good at doing that as well and it’s going to get easier. One year I’m going to be on ground that pushes out 200-230 bushel corn, the next, I’m on newer ground and it will do 100-120. I can push it to 150-170, but I’d rather get less and build soil, because I’ll always be chasing a yield drag forever, and doing average to better is where it’s at. If I took all my equipment and technology through a time machine to my land in 1818, I’d blow out a crop so huge! Untouched tall grass prairie with 12%+ soil organic matter. My great grandkids will get land that good. I hope I’m not speaking out of turn. Sorry if I am.

[@farmingwithcarp8551]

Well said. Thanks

[@gggbon]

What about cutting the whole thing as silage at some point for that dairy?

[@farmingwithcarp8551]

It is a possibility. If they would take it…

[@micksburg]

I have alot of spots like that.....

[@farmingwithcarp8551]

We are also in basically a drought. So that doesn’t help

[@micksburg]

@@farmingwithcarp8551 I have a annual ryegrass problem and we are gonna foliar feed and till our way out. We can still see the rows but BRIX is getting low. Love to see you pushing the envelope keep us posted.

[@shaungiesbrecht4697]

My corn is uneven too. I thought it was maybe a no till thing.

[@joshjansen8429]

Was that a spot where grain was spilled possibly?

[@farmingwithcarp8551]

It was not. This field was just alfalfa last year.

[@hankelrod7315]

Will that corn planted into alfalfa yield anything? I can’t see how in the world that works. Where the corn is nice the alfalfa pressure looks like a lot less. What are you y dropping? Liquid N? I thought that was organic???

[@farmingwithcarp8551]

We are Y dropping manure water. It has nitrogen in it.

[@micksburg]

Hank there is only one way to find put try it yourself.....do you think you can handle it??

[@user-bi2ew5vu6t]

HCarp, what do you think about CTF on your farm?

[@farmingwithcarp8551]

We try to do our best with it.

[@edwardvermillion8807]

that's where all the bodies are buried... (the tall corn) what's the point of corn in alfalfa? (honest question)

[@101thecasey]

Alfalfa is a legume which fixes nitrogen. The goal with the alfalfa is to feed the corn instead of using applied nitrogen. Also it is good for soil health to keep roots in the ground for water infiltration and maybe a little bit for weed prevention. Not sure about the weeds though because even though it prevents other weeds from growing, the alfalfa itself does compete with the corn.

[@edwardvermillion8807]

@@101thecasey thanks! i didn't realize alfalfa was a legume. i just assumed it was a grass, but i'd only ever seen it in square bales, or growing in a field as we drove by.