Sweet corn

[deere755]

Do any of you raise sweet corn and sell it. We had a neighbor that used to sell it down the road but has quit doing it about 2 years ago. His son is off to college and he gave it up when his son left. We plowed up an old pasture and there is an area of it that is too small to really get into with a combine so I am thinking of planting sweet corn there and letting my boy sell it.
My question is how much does it run to plant an acre of sweet corn, seed , fertlizer, etc. I was thinking I might just side dress a little 28% on it when I do the rest of my farm. I will probably put about 130 lbs of actual n on it. I will cultivate it to control the weeds.
Next question is in a normal year how much sweet corn can I expect to harvest. The going price around here seems to be around $2.75 to $3 per dozen.

 

[smstonypoint]

Here's a link to a prototype sweet corn enterprise budget from Iowa State that should give you a starting point for estimating your potential costs and returns.


http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/BFC20.pdf

Steve

PS. You would need to take soil samples to determine the fertilizer/lime requirements.

 

[charlz]

Don't forget insecticide and spraying equipment costs, you might have to spray pretty often depending on when and where the corn grows.

 

[sweettractors]

Do any of you raise sweet corn and sell it. We had a neighbor that used to sell it down the road but has quit doing it about 2 years ago. His son is off to college and he gave it up when his son left. We plowed up an old pasture and there is an area of it that is too small to really get into with a combine so I am thinking of planting sweet corn there and letting my boy sell it.
My question is how much does it run to plant an acre of sweet corn, seed , fertlizer, etc. I was thinking I might just side dress a little 28% on it when I do the rest of my farm. I will probably put about 130 lbs of actual n on it. I will cultivate it to control the weeds.
Next question is in a normal year how much sweet corn can I expect to harvest. The going price around here seems to be around $2.75 to $3 per dozen.

Keep in mind, if some competior turns you in to the state for possible insecticide or fungicide residue in you product, they are obliged to come and take samples and test it. I had that happen to me with commercial strawberries back in the early eighties. Be careful what you put on your soil and crop. Ken Sweet

 

[om21braz]

Maybe not the best tasting corn, but my great-grandfather always raised/sold Trucker's Special. I don't know about today, but years ago the ears were so much larger than other types that he could always sell it - even if the curb market already had plenty. Or maybe that was Trucker's Favorite?

 

[deere755]

Don't forget insecticide and spraying equipment costs, you might have to spray pretty often depending on when and where the corn grows.

I was planning on not using any chemicals on it. It won't be organic but I don't want any chemical for weed and insect control.

 

[ray66v]

I was planning on not using any chemicals on it. It won't be organic but I don't want any chemical for weed and insect control.

The worms will be delighted to hear that. :thumbsup:

 

[wolc123]

I put in an acre or two a year and the cost for seed has been running around $40/acre the last few years. I go light on the fertilizer with 75-100 lbs/acre of 15-15-15 aplied with the row-planter while planting and nothing added later. I rotate the corn with white clover with (2) years of white clover between corn. This provides most of the required nitrogen free and keeps weeds under control on off years. I cultivate the corn 2-3 times and use no herbicides or insecticides. The clover always bounces back on its own without needing reseeding the year after the corn. Minimizing synthetic fertilizer application keeps the soil PH neutral, letting the clover do well with out ever needing lime. I usually plant 72, 82, and 92 day sweetcorn varieties starting around mid May with the 72, and ending around July 4 with the 92. This keeps us in fresh corn from late July thru October 1 or so. The coons usually wipe out the first batch to get ripe but by the time the second batch is ripe, I have usually taken them all out with box traps baited with peanut-butter coated marshmellows and my .22 rifle. I never sell any corn but my nieghbors, family and friends come over and get all they want. I never have any trouble with worms in the corn until later in the season, but I would rather deal with a few of them than the chemicals. If I were selling corn, I might worry more about the worms, but I dont get to many complaints from folks I give it to. Many of them appreciate the fact that it is chemical free and look on the occassional worm as "proof".

 

[charlz]

You might have to do some customer education on the worms for the later/late season corn. If they are buying it to cook on the bbq before removing the husk you might not get too many repeat customers

New ground probably won't be too bad but if you plant the same ground again the next year the worm problem will likely be worse.

 

[ray66v]

You might have to do some customer education on the worms for the later/late season corn. If they are buying it to cook on the bbq before removing the husk you might not get too many repeat customers

New ground probably won't be too bad but if you plant the same ground again the next year the worm problem will likely be worse.

Yes, unless there is some effective organic means of controlling worms, (I don't know if there is or not), it can get ugly.

I plant in the same spot every year, and this year was bad, even with using dust. I probably had a worm in 1 out of 12 ears.

That's about 4 times as many as usual.