2016 Fall Farm

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2016 Logan County Fall Farm Outlook Magazine Lincoln Daily News Oct. 27, 2016 25
But the best way to treat Diplodia is to try and
prevent it from growing in the first place. The
best way to prevent Diplodia is to rotate crops
away from corn after a year or two. Consider
planting a different crop for another year or so
before returning to corn. This gives the soil
time to recover nutrients, prevents weeds from
developing resistances, and reduces the amount
of corn debris that could result in Diplodia
infections.
Even at lower prices, many farmers stick with
corn because of sheer volume of harvests. But
after years of continuous corn planting, we are
only now beginning to see the side effects of
such a planting strategy.
When you combine falling prices with
increased funguses and a lower quality of soil,
a question of investment arises. Is it better to
risk more investment in treating funguses and
buying fertilizer to grow more corn, or would it
be worth the risk to rotate to a different crop?
Despite the low prices on corn and the resulting
glut of planting so much of it in the last few
years, rotating away from corn is still a risky
move, but so is the continuous planting of corn
and nothing more.
Works cited:
Butzen, Steve. “Best Management Practices for
Corn-After-Corn Production.” Pioneer, https://
“Diplodia Stalk and Ear Rots in Corn.”
Peltier, Angie. “Disease Alert: Diplodia Ear
Mold in 2016.” University of Illinois Extension,