The all-time record corn yield is 542 bushels per acre. That is a long way from last year’s average yield nationwide of 177 bushels per acre. University of Illinois Professor of Plant Physiology Dr. Fred Below is advocating next-level management for high yield corn. That strategy would have farmers feeding and protecting a much higher density of plants. “The plant has to sense a certain amount of nutrients right from the very beginning. Those key nutrients seem to be nitrogen and phosphorus. Those nutrients set the growth trajectory. It’s like taking the dimmer switch in yield potential and setting it all the way up.” Looking forward, Below is seeing a trend toward higher plant populations.
