David K. Hula Supervisors Brian Noyes Conservation Specialist SWCD Paul H. Davis County Extension Agent Va. Cooperative Extension James V. Wallace Ag Specialist SWCD DAVID K. HULA RENWOOD FARMS Charles City, Va. 339.4827 BU/A Pioneer 33M54 Harvest pop.: 38,200 Harvester: JD 9650 STS David Hula’s 339-bu. harvest tops not only this category but the entire contest. A perennial winner, Hula notes, “The credit goes to the good Lord first and a lot of information and to my father.” A brief dry spell early on forced the roots to reach deep, but the rest of the season brought ample rains without hot temperatures or humidity. “That was pretty refreshing.” The contest field, previously in doublecrop soybeans, has been no-tilled since 1992. “We don’t say no-till. We just say never-till now,” Hula stresses. “That’s a key component to the success in all this.” He broadcast 250 lbs. of potash before planting, with Roundup sprayed for burndown. Starter fertilizer included 65 lbs. of nitrogen, 33 lbs. of phosphorus, 6 lbs. of sulfur, 0.5 lb. of zinc and 0.1 lb. of boron. Seed came treated with Poncho 250, and Hula applied Amplify L fertilizer. “The seed’s health is the basic building block for our success, and these treatments provide added pest protection while enhancing nutritional balance.” Aatrex, Princep and 2,4-D applied preemergence concluded the herbicide program. When corn reached about 10" tall, 160 lbs. of nitrogen of 32 lbs. of sulfur was sidedressed. “As growing conditions continued to improve, we realized that was probably not enough fertilizer.” So Hula applied another 60 lbs. of nitrogen and 12 lbs. of sulfur when corn was about 4' tall, then followed with a foliar application of Feast (9-18-9) just prior to tasseling. “We drove pretty slow so we didn’t break the corn over, because it was 8' tall,” says Hula, noting that he normally wouldn’t go through the corn so late. But he also wanted to try the fungicide Quadris. “This year being wet, I think we did have some significant disease pressure.” Hula saw a 17-bu. advantage where he used the fungicide. Hybrid selection and seed placement are keys to high yields, Hula asserts. “You put the right variety in the right position and you will be pleased.” “I am a strong supporter of corn meter calibrations. If you’ve got doubles and skips, you’re not maximizing your potential.”
	Supervisors Kim Kinman County Executive Director FSA Morris J. Bitzer NCGA Representative University of Ky. Extension Jerry Brown County Extension Agent University of Ky. Extension BOB AND RUSSELL SCHWENKE SCHWENKE BROTHERS Union, Ky. 291.3950 BU/A Pioneer 33M54 Harvest pop.: 29,500 Harvester: Case IH 2366 As Bob and Russell Schwenke harvested their corn, they raced to beat flood waters from rain that fell states away. September hurricanes missed Kentucky but flooded the Ohio River. “We beat the flood, but it was really a challenge,” Bob reports. In one field, they brought in a bulldozer to build a new road to access a flooded peninsula. By the time they finished harvesting that field, water had crept over the new road. The contest plot stayed high and dry. “I lived here my whole life and never saw a flood that early.” This is the brothers’ first time placing in a no-till category, Schwenke notes, adding that they now no-till more acres than they minimum-till. They used to think no-till dragged down yields until the two started planting rye or wheat cover crops into soybean stubble. They keep experimenting, now trying to see how long they can go without deep tillage to avert compaction. “We enjoy competing in the contest to see how we compare with other farmers across the country,” Schwenke observes.		Supervisors Francis A. Breeding IPM Consultant University of Md. Extension Jennifer L. Rhodes Nutrient Management Consultant University of Md. Extension Paul L. Gunther County Extension Director University of Md. Extension TIM BISHOP WINONA FARM Queenstown, Md. 286.0336 BU/A Campbell 7700 Harvest pop.: 30,789 Harvester: JD 9610 Tim Bishop depends on YieldGard varieties, split nitrogen applications, foliar feeding and calibrated seed units to attain high yields. His biggest challenge this year was no rain from June 23 to Aug. 12. This seed dealer used a Kinze 3500 eight-row planter with Rawson hydraulic control unit and a Computrol II seed monitor to plant at a seeding rate of 32,000 seeds per acre on April 20. The silt-loam field, in continuous no-till for 20 years, lies just 300' from the Wye River, which flows into the famed Chesapeake Bay. It had been previously planted to no-till wheat and doublecrop soybeans. Bishop broadcast 100 lbs. of potash, then used 5 gal. per acre of Conklin 9-18-9 in-furrow and 20 gal. per acre of 32% nitrogen in a 2"- by-2" band at planting with Conklin Guardian DL. Another 60 lbs. of 30% nitrogen went on with Gramoxone and Lumax herbicides. Seed was treated with Poncho 250 and Amplify D. The field got two sidedressings of 60 lbs. nitrogen each, plus a foliar feeding with MS Foliar Blend PK 25 days after emergence.