Key Points
- Objective: To achieve high yield corn in an intense management environment with proper field drainage, irrigation, and sound practical and realistic agronomic practices.
- Driving Yield From Every Angle: We are using everything at our disposal to continue producing high yield potential, from water recycling to fertilizing throughout the growing season using a NutraDrip Irrigation System.
- Over 400 Bu/A: This study started in 2018, and we have worked each year to correct issues and cross barriers to continue to see yield increases. In 2018, our highest yield was 272 Bu/A. In 2023, we crossed our farm record with 403 Bu/A!
- Profit Matters Most: There is so much you can do to manage your crop and increase yield. The key is to make sure your efforts are practical, realistic, and profitable.
After you start farming a piece of land, it can take about two to three years just to figure out what the soil needs and how to optimize yield.
Each year since 2018, we’ve performed this high management corn study at the PTI Farm to uncover how we can drive corn yield as high (and as profitable) as possible through intense management during the growing season.
In addition to reaching record-breaking yield results, this high management corn study has made our Top 10 list at the PTI Farm each year. In 2023, it was our highest-performing study with high management soybeans at number four.
| 2023 PTI Farm Studies (Top 10 ROI) | $ROI/A |
| #1: High Management Corn | $379.44 |
| #2: NETAFIM Drip Irrigation | $208.13 |
| #3: Corn Strip Cropping System | $192.59 |
| #4: High Management Soybeans | $139.04 |
| #5: 15” Narrow Row Corn | $111.53 |
| #6: Soybean Early Planting Date with Starter Fertilizer | $92.02 |
| #7: No-Till Over Conventional-Till in Soybeans | $90.74 |
| #8: On-Farm Grain Drying and Storage System | $87.17 |
| #9: Multi-Genetic Corn Planting | $80.71 |
| #10: Corn Fertilizer Placement / Reallocation in Cover Crop | $59.83 |
Each year, we have implemented new strategies that have helped us produce the results we’re seeing in high management corn. Here are a few highlights of major changes we've made:
Water Management and Recycling
In 2018, we began the construction of a water reservoir on the PTI Farm that acts as an outlet to capture excess water from our fields. In addition to giving excess water a place to drain and collect, this reservoir lets us recycle rainwater, controlling moisture levels as we need to. This system drains saturated soils when wet and then allows us to recycle that rainwater during the dry summer months. Utilizing this resource led to the largest jump in this program from 2019 to 2020 where our yield increased by 83 Bu/A and reached a total yield of 368 Bu/A.
Continuous Nutrients Throughout the Growing Season
Beginning in 2019, we started utilizing NETAFIM drip tape designed by NutraDrip Irrigation Systems. Multi-year data from 2019-2023 has shown this system has increased corn yield by an average of 57.6 Bu/A, which produced additional average gross income of $259.70/A.
Drainage Tile
When we first started the PTI Farm, it was considered a “wet farm.” To control water buildup, we installed plastic field tiles to drain water, which is also how we back-feed irrigation to offer irrigation during dry months.
When we first set out to produce high yield corn, the highest yield we were able to achieve was 272 Bu/A. After research and regular adjustments, we officially crossed the 400 Bu/A milestone in 2023 with a yield of 403 Bu/A.
Our key takeaway is simple: It is possible to implement a high management program in a profitable way! We look forward to continuing to drive yield higher in future years through innovation, new insights, and additional strategies.
Past Study Videos
InsidePTI S3•E10
High Yield ‣ Corn
InsidePTI S2•E03
High Yield Management ‣ Corn
Study Details
Study data collected 2018-2023 at the PTI Farm in Pontiac, IL.
| Planting Date | Varied By Year | Rotation | CAB |
| Row Width | 30" | Population | 38-40K |
| Corn Prices | 2023 - $5.31 2022 - $6.00 2021 - $5.00 2020 - $3.75 2019 - $3.67 2018 - $3.50 | Hybrid | Varied By Year |
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