This article from the December 85' issue of Farm Journal discusses Herman Warsaw's 370 bu/a corn harvest in fall 1985.

1. By DARRELL SMITH
"I knew I was putting my integrity on It's safe to say that the readings will be
H e r m a n W a r s a w the line when I started to harvest," says high: Previous readings for some of
Warsaw. "But a big storm was coming, Warsaw's high-yielding plots have
b e a t t h e c h a f f and 40 mph winds were already blow- shown phosphorus in the 300-to-400-lb.
ing. Quite a bit of corn had already gone range and K levels approaching 1,000 lb.
down." (Afterward, the storm shut The high levels are part of his ongoing
o u t of o l d c o r n down harvest for at least 10 days.) efforts to document the conditions re-
Few who know Warsaw, his motiva- quired for consistent 300-bu. yields.
r e c o r d s w i t h tions and his track record of high yields Warsaw planted FS 854 on April 25.
are likely to question this one. It was the That's the same hybrid that produced
fifth time he has broken the 300-bu. bar- his other 300-bu. yields. "It makes very
p l e n t y of rain, rier, and all the others were witnessed— efficient use of nitrogen and phosphor-
his world record 338 bu. in 1975, 325 in us," says Warsaw. "It photosynthesizes
fertilizer a n d 1981, 312 in 1979 and 307 in 1982. Fur- about 15 days longer than most hybrids
thermore, for Warsaw, high yields for of similar maturity—that's where you
g o o d soil their own sake are not the goal. "I started get your yield boost. It also roots deep,
shooting for high yields because I felt resists stalk rot and withstands the stress
they were the best way to promote soil of high populations whether the season
conservation," he explains. is wet or dry."(Warsaw's 307 bu. in 1982
received only 11" of rain during the
growing season.)
Y ou almost had to feel a little sorry
for Herman Warsaw's combine.
The six-row Massey Ferguson
850 chugged through his one-acre high-
yield test plot at 1.2 mph—"as slow as
This year's yield surpasses not only
Warsaw's own dryland record but also
the world irrigated corn yield record—
352.6 bu. per acre, set by Michigan's
Roy Lynn Jr., in 1977.
Planting rate was 36,000 seeds per
acre—about 2,000 more than usual for
Warsaw's high-yield plot. "We knew we
had the fertility, and we just hoped we
we could go"—and still had all the crop Warsaw applied 250 lb. of 18-46-0 got good rainfall," he says. It was; 24"—
it could handle. and 250 lb. of 0-0-60 last fall, for a total about 2" more than normal—fell during
In corn like that, says Warsaw, who of 115 lb. of phosphorus and 150 lb. of the '85 growing season.
farms in McLean County, 111., "you potash. He applied 3001b. N as 28% ni- Warsaw controlled weeds with 3 qt. of
know real quick there's something tre- trogen solution just before planting. As Lasso at planting and 1 pint of Buctril
mendous going on." That "something" he planted, he put down 63 lb. of nitro- after emergence. He cultivated once.
was a new world record corn yield— gen and 66 lb. of sulfur. He side-dressed "The cultivation was mostly for aera-
370.3 bu. per acre. 761b. of nitrogen at cultivation. Warsaw tion and to incorporate a little residue,"
For thefirstfew minutes, Warsaw was had spread 10 tons of cow manure the Warsaw explains. "Some research has
alone in thefield.Both official observers previous fall. shown yield increases of up to 20 bu.
had been detained (and one failed to ar- The Saybrook and Drummer silt from cultivation." Because the crop fol-
rive at all). Shortly after Warsaw entered loam also received two tons of dolomit- lowed corn, Warsaw applied 1 lb. of
the plot, Harold Reetz of the Potash & ic limestone the previous fall. At press Furadan for insect control.
Phosphate Institute joined him on the time, Warsaw was awaiting the results In fact, the crop followed not just one
combine and at the elevator. of a soil test of the high-yielding field. or two years of corn, but 21. Warsaw
16 FR J U N L E E B R 1
A M O R AD C M E 9
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2. A SOIL PROFILE excavated earlier this
year showed that roots grew deep even
though there was adequate moisture
near the surface. Deep tillage provides
aeration and helps nutrients move deep
into the soil, encouraging root growth,
says Warsaw.
keeps continuous corn—along with oc-
casional seedings of alfalfa—on his roll-
ingfields(mostly in the 4%-to-5% range)
to minimize erosion. He shredded stalks
the previous fall and chiseled with a spe-
cially modified implement. It features a
row of plow colters, two ranks of twisted
shovels and a rank of sweeps.
The sweeps and shovels are on 12"
centers. "I moved them in to avoid leav-
ing an untilled strip between the shov-
els," Warsaw says. He chisels 15" deep.
The sweeps leave the surface smooth
enough to eliminate a leveling pass in
the spring, he adds. He plants after just
one field cultivation in the spring.
"I try to leave 75% of the residue on
the surface after chiseling," Warsaw ex-
plains. "By cultivation time, the crop
has a canopy to protect it from erosion.
So I try to incorporate the remaining res-
idue just deeply enough for it to decay
and recycle the nutrients, but without
pruning the roots ofthe growing crop."
Warsaw credits this year's record
yield to adequate rainfall, high fertility
and the soil-building practices he has
followed over many years. "It all has to
go together," he says.
"Higher yields produce more residue.
By leaving some of it on top, you pre-
vent soil erosion and runoff. By incorpo-
rating some of it, you build soil structure
from the bottom up. The improved soil
structure allows more water to pene-
trate. Deep tillage and water move nutri-
ents deeper into the soil profile. It's a
process that takes many years, and you
have to develop a program for your own
soils," he adds.
Warsaw believes the production prac-
tices he used this year would be cost
250 lb. 18-46-0 $32.50 Stalk shredding 3.50 effective if the grower could be assured
of yields in the 300-bu. range (see table).
250 lb. 0-0-60 18.12 Fall chiseling 8.00 Warsaw began his high-yield and soil-
300 lb. N (28%) 67.50 Field cultivating 4.50 conservation research in the 1950s,
300 lb. 21-0-0-22 sulfur 25.00 Planting 7.00 comparing yields and changes in soil
structure under various tillage practices.
165 lb. 46-0-0 20.25 Cultivating (once) 3.00 His '75 yield brought recognition.
2 tons dolomitic lime 10.42 Harvesting 20.00 Today, universities, agencies such as the
'$31.25; prorated for 3 years) Potash & Phosphate Institute and even
Buctril 1 pint 4.60 Total costs: 286.79 some farmers are testing his concepts of
deep (but minimal) tillage, residue man-
Lasso 3 qt. 16.00 agement and high fertility.
Furadan 1 lb. 18.50 "Protecting the soil has always been
Seed 27.90 the number-one goal," Warsaw says. "I
'$62/bag, 36,000 population) think my yields show that you can do
that while maximizing productivity and
Note: W r a also applied at least 1 tons of cow manure. This is not included in amounts
as w 0 the fertilizer getting the full benefit of the fertilizer
isted above.)
you apply." <
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A M J U N L E E B R 18
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