July 8, 2011
Field Crops 28.9 - 85
Even with High Corn Prices, Production Efficiency is Key to
Profitability
Joe Lauer, Corn Agronomist
2011 PEPS Entry Form
For many years, the question most asked by corn farmers has been, "How do I
save a buck?" During the last three years the question has changed to, "How
do I grow another bushel?" Growers are thinking creatively about ways to
increase yields through new, innovative production techniques. The PEPS
program provides an outstanding way to compare the economics and efficiency
of your cropping system to others. It is an opportunity to gain valuable
knowledge, technical insight and demonstrate your farming skills for
conserving resources and improving water quality. The 2010 most efficient
farmers in the PEPS program are shown in Table 1.
In the 2010, the average yield in the cash corn and
dairy/livestock corn divisions was 218 and 216 bushels per acre
with production costs of $439 and $408 per acre. The average
cost per bushel was $2.05 and $1.88. Using PEPS production costs
for an acre and the WI USDA average of 162 bushels per acre, the
average cost per bushel was $2.71. It cost $724 per acre to grow
corn silage with an average cost per ton of dry matter of $77
($27 at 65% moisture).
Table 1. PEPS Most Efficient corn farmers in the 2010 Cash Corn,
Dairy/Livestock Corn and Silage Corn Divisions.
|
Division
|
District
|
County
|
Participant
|
Cost/Bu
Cost/T
|
Cost/A
|
Yield
|
Hybrid
|
Verifier
|
|
Corn, Cash Crop
|
1
|
Marathon
|
Steve Kloos
|
$1.89
|
$443
|
235
|
Pioneer 37Y12
|
Philip Ely
|
|
|
2
|
Jackson
|
Stetzer Farms
|
$1.66
|
$468
|
282
|
DeKalb DKC52-59
|
Trisha Wagner
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corn, Dairy Livestock
|
1
|
Polk
|
Dale Wester
|
$1.56
|
$362
|
232
|
DeKalb DKC42-72
|
Kieth Zygowicz
|
|
|
2
|
Buffalo
|
Diversified Farms
|
$2.01
|
$432
|
215
|
Pioneer P0461XR
|
Carl Duley
|
|
|
3
|
Grant
|
David Gehrke
|
$1.76
|
$363
|
206
|
Kussmaul GL807GT
|
Steve Mueller
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corn, Silage
|
1
|
Marathon
|
Steve Kloos
|
$71.05
|
$588
|
8.3
|
Pioneer 35F38
|
Philip Ely
|
The ""Green Fields – Blue Waters" award is
given to a farmer to recognize and promote stewardship and
sustainable corn production practices.
For previous PEPS reports and 2011 Entry forms see the website:
http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/PEPS.
Fields entered in the PEPS program may also qualify for other contests
such as the National Corn Yield Contest.
If you have any questions, please call Amy Cottom at (608) 262-7702 or
e-mail at: agcottom@wisc.edu.
Have a safe and profitable growing season!