Anybody Planting Open Pollinated Corn ?

[jwmfarms]

I was wondering if anyone on here had any experience with open pollinated corn. I have been thinking about trying some Reid's Yellow Dent to shell for grain, and possibly some Wapsie Valley to pick on ear and grind for cattle feed (not for grain since it's color varies from yellow to brown to maroon). I was wondering how it yields compared to modern hybrids. Because seed cost is less I could stand a little lower yeild. I know Tim(nj) has planted some. Talked to him on corn picker forum about it. Anybody else?

 

[Kenny_T]

Modern hybrids will of course yield more when planted in the same conditions as OP corn. Corn exhibits a great deal of hybrid vigour. On the other hand those expensive hybrid seeds cost a lot and must be purchased each year.
You can save the seed from OP corn and select for traits that you prefer like long cobs or resistance to lodging. If you are harvesting by hand then lodging isn't a disaster but for a machine harvested field, the plant falling over is a disaster and hybrids tend to resist lodging better than OP corn.
If you do go with the OP corn and want to save seed make sure you save seed from at least 100 good plants. When a plant displays a great deal of hybrid vigour it is also an indication that it displays inbreeding depression. (saving seed from too few plants in a generation)

 

[c.w n.y]

my father planted 30 kernels of wapsie valley in his garden, they grew preety good he is 6 foot 1 inches tall. i could nt tell you the bushels per acre from such a small plot. we plan on planting the kernels from the corn we grew this year next year.

c.w

 

[Chester5731]

I would like to try some next year also. I know the seed rate is less per acre but how much would I need to plant three acres?

 

[Anonymous-0]

conventional hybrids can be bought for $85to $120a bag. After you figure in the loss of bushels and have lodged mess you will wish you had spent the money for good seed. Our yields have gone up 50bu an acre in the last 5 years due to hybrid advancements, how is some ancient variety of op corn supposed to compete with that?

 

[Anonymous-0]

I plant OP corn, prefer it over the mega million seed companies. I started with Lancaster sure crop and have saved seed since. Animals clean the stalks betters and take the chopped cobs better too.