grazing corn

[Freesaw]

Iam planting some grazing corn next spring with an air drill what row space should I use 8, 16, 24,or 32" I have clay loam soil average rain fall is 10-14" chu about 2300 ?

[emiled]

Uniform spacing among corn plants seems to be the key ... We have not encountered major problems with 12" spacing ... here's an excerpt from some US production information;

Research and farm fields have also been planted to 15-inch rows, but some years 15-inch rows have not shown a significant yield improvement over 20- or 22-inch rows. A yield gain from rows narrower than 20 inches is very dependant on an exceptional climate throughout the growing season. And, it is important that plant populations per acre not be greater in narrow rows than wide rows. Increased yields from narrow rows come primarily from uniform distribution of plants. Better utilization of available sunlight, nutrients and water by individual plants across a field allows yield gains.

[zwaanfarms]

I have found in the past 4 years that your row spacing will be dependant upon how well your equipment will meter out the seed. Remember that you are trying to seed at an extremely low rate. You are trying to achieve a plant population of 26,000 to 29,000 plants per acre. Generally about 15 to 18 lbs/acre. With a corn planter set at a conventional 30" row spacing that means you are dropping a seed every 7" in row. This is a 29,000 seed/acre rate. If your row spacing is 7". Then your equipment must drop a seed every 30" in row! This is where I have found most equipment to have problems. Shutting your equipment down this low tends to have a very erratic seed placement. it plugs and tends to bloop out. As you open up your row spacing you are in effect increasing your seeding rate. or so your equipment will think. Generally once you are in the 15" to 30" range your equipment will start to seed more evenly. Of course you will have great difficuly in determining the "eveness" till emergence occurs but I would encourage you to stay in the 22" to 30" range initially.
I have had experience setting flexicoil, JD, Morris, air drills and a variety of gravity fed drill boxs. Best results were at 30" row spacing for seed placement.
Remember to try to place seed depth in the 3/4" to 1" range. No deeper than 1 1/2". You want that corn to emerge quickly so as not to delay maturity and yield.

[Freesaw]

thanks for the information