# Tight Margins



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Going Non-GE

...as swmnhay did some this year. You move to the front of the class Cy.

Regards, Mike

http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/common/link.do?symbolicName=/free/crops/news/template1&product=/ag/news/production/features&vendorReference=0702DAAD&paneContentId=70506&paneParentId=70503


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Good point. I am going to consider non-GE at least on corn!

Thanks!

Ralph


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

I wonder what the peemium is as well? I remember hearing local guy emptied his bins in when prices were up and he got a 50 cent premium iirc (11 corn in 12). $8 a bushel. He was a happy guy.


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## prairie (Jun 20, 2008)

We have never done anything but conventional corn (non-GMO) , do plant GT-tolerant soybeans, but will most likely planting conventional beans this next spring. No real advantages to GMO's if you pay attention to business. Many seedcorn/soybean reps joke that all most farmers want is "Simple & Stupid".


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

We dropped most of the GMO traits many years ago, seed cost too high. Even went back to row crop cultivating with a pair of modified cultivators... single sweeps capable of high speed. Started side dressing with the same rig. Saw no real yield drop and cost/acre dropped considerably.

I always thought the GMO traits were better suited to the guys farming thousands of acres of row crop, as they can't pay close enough attention to scouting so they needed shortcuts.


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## prairie (Jun 20, 2008)

aawhite said:


> ... Even went back to row crop cultivating with a pair of modified cultivators... single sweeps capable of high speed....
> 
> I always thought the GMO traits were better suited to the guys farming thousands of acres of row crop, as they can't pay close enough attention to scouting so they needed shortcuts.


I travel around a bit with my seed business, mainly NE, SD, MN, and IA, have noticed more farmers cultivating corn and soybeans. The ones I have talked to say that the herbicides, mainly glyphosate, are not doing the job anymore, and feel cultivating along with other herbicides will do a better job at the same or less cost than a glyphosate based weed control program.

Scouting is the key! Many farmers don't scout at all anymore, figuring it is all taken care of in the bag. Hence the seedcorn/soybean sales reps joke about "Simple & Stupid". There are even some young farmers who have never really scouted their fields, and don't know how.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

If you looked back in the '80's, it took a lot of time and attention to detail to grow a good bean crop. After RR beans showed up, Dad always said they found a way for idiots to grow beans. An exaggeration, but CRP saved a lot of sloppy/poor farms in SE Iowa, then RR beans turned them back into grain farmers.


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