I had an excellent corn crop this year even though it was a dry summer. We have about 3.2% organic matter on our farm which was very helpful in a dry year.

I have been working with our open-pollinated corn for over 20 years. “Macher’s Freedom” is the name of the strain that I developed. “Macher’s Freedom” means freedom from the seed company...you only buy the seed once and then you can save your own seed for replanting each year. Another advantage of saving your own seed is that your corn starts to develop vigor for your specific farm. Over the years and with good seed selection your crop gets better and becomes more sustainable.

The University of Missouri's test results are as follows:
* 11.33% available protein
* +9.70 dry matter basis as fed basis
* 494.02 relative basis

Trace minerals are two to three times higher in open-pollinated corn than in hybrid corn. These trace minerals are absorbed by the plant from the soil, which hybrid corn is unable to do.

Soil tests showed the following:
* 7.0 pH--This is an ideal pH for corn production.
* The phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were all high.
* Organic matter for the farm was 3.2%. This is extremely significant because of the ability of organic matter to hold moisture.

Typical U.S. corn soils have 0.5-2.5% organic matter. Test at the University of Missouri’s Experimental Station found in the first 20 years of cultivation the soil lost 25% organic matter, 10% then next 20 years, and 7% the third 20 years. Soil with a 4-5% organic matter can only absorb 4-6” of rainfall per hour, while soil with only 1.5-2% may only absorb 0.5-1.5” of rainfall per hour.

The importance of organic matter is magnified in the corn field when one realizes that an acre of corn requires 500,000 gallons of water during a growing season. Ninety-six percent (96%) of all water consumed is by agriculture and 12% of that is irrigated cropland.

Currently, an estimated 33% of all crops are lost annually to pests, 13% to insects, 12% to pathogens, and 8% to weeds; and all of this is in spite of a ten-fold increase in the use of herbicides and pesticides. However, the E.P.A. determined that 100% of the people they tested have one or more pesticides in their bodies. The current method of farming is not healthy or sustainable agriculture.

According to Dr. Albert of the Soil Department of the University of Missouri, organic matter is the constitution of the soil. If you are concerned about water-holding capacity, soil fertility, and pest problems, then a more natural way of farming is the answer. Rotating crops and planting cover crops helps soil fertility as does discing lightly so the crop residue is in the top two to three inches of soil. The above practice helps to disrupt the cycle of pests and weeds. This practice, therefore, helps to reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, and harsh fertilizers which kill the “good guys” in the soil, including bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi; which is the foundation of good soil constitution.

Saving your own seed means that your seed is adapted best to your soils, environment, and management practices. Observe your farm at least once a week. See what is going on with your soil on your farm.

See us and the corn at our 19th National Small Farm Trade Show & Conference^™ (November 3-5, 2011) to learn about these profitable and very informative ideas. (See ad on page 14 or visit www.smallfarmtoday.com for details.)

Happy & Profitable Farming,

Ron Macher
Publisher/Farmer