February 9, 2010
Contacts: listed at end
Results of NNY Corn Grain Variety Trials Now Online
North Country farmers grow corn to feed dairy cattle and other livestock
and to sell for the production of ethanol. In 2009, corn variety trials
at three Northern New York farm sites evaluated 10 early maturing
hybrids in St. Lawrence County and Clinton County; 24 early to
medium-early hybrids grown in Jefferson County. Approximately 40,000
acres of corn is harvested as grain in New York’s six northernmost
counties.
The results of the 2009 Northern New York corn grain variety trials are
now on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website at
www.nnyagdev.org and available from Cornell Cooperative Extension
offices in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence
counties.
Lead researcher Dr. Margaret E. Smith with Cornell University’s
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics says, “Grain yield evaluations
of commercial hybrids provide essential comparative information to
farmers interested in grain production in the region and to seed
companies that make marketing decisions based initially on performance
in these trials.”
She adds that average yields for the hybrids grown at the three Northern
New York farm sites were excellent, ranging from 184 bushels per acre to
202 bu/acre.
Because of the interest in growing corn for ethanol production, the data
collected by Dr. Smith includes starch content measurements.
Smith says, “Starch content analysis of these commercial hybrids,
together with their grain yield data, provides comparison regarding
their ethanol production potential for this relatively new corn market.”
The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program
funded the corn trials conducted by Cornell researchers at Robbins Farms
in Sackets Harbor in Jefferson County, at Greenwood Dairy in Canton in
St. Lawrence County, and at WH Miner Agricultural Research Institute in
Chazy in Clinton County. # # #
(Click
here to go to the research report directly)
Contacts:
• Margaret Smith, Cornell University, 607-255-1654
• NNYADP Co-Chair & trials host farmer Jon Greenwood, 315-386-3231
Cornell Cooperative Extension:
• Clinton/Essex counties: Anita Deming, 518-962-4810
• Franklin County: Carl Tillinghast, Stephen Canner: 518-483-7403
• Jefferson County: Mike Hunter, 315-788-8450
• Lewis County: Joe Lawrence, 315-376-5270
• St. Lawrence County: Stephen Canner: 315-379-9192
