It's been years since I topdressed corn. Urea is "on sale" and it costs less to put it on yourself.
What we applied last night went right into the ground with the humidity and dew. Ideal with to topdress corn.
Corn takes anywhere from .7 to 1.2 lbs of Nitrogen per bushel of corn. This has been well researched and much disputed.
Most of my best farmer clients are down on the low end of that range because their soil is healthy, they are in a good rotation, and they are very timely at doing things. .7 is the best I have done, 2004 and 2007.
Nature is all about timing. There is a time to plant and a time to reap. Lately I have felt like casting stones but it is not the right time for that.
You can test soil for N and tissue test for N but all tests are a snapshot of that moment. They help me figure out what is going on. Old farmers know what to do, they are very savvy.
I decided to topdress corn this year because it felt right. The weather is perfect for melting urea into the earth to feed the corn. The microbes will be busy.
Funny thing, I found out neither 1655 has the right wheel spacing for 30 inch rows. Can't find our 3/4 inch drive socket set so have to go buy another one. I will set one if not both tractors for 30 inch wheels but they both pull so well at the wider wheel spacing right now.
We took a bucket of the urea and sidedressed some sweetcorn, hoeing it in. Now that is how you make good sweet corn!
I could eat a few fresh ears right now, not that nasty Kroger stuff shipped in from the south, yuck, that is cow corn.
Ed
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