Additional benefits to crop rotation include better management of weed spectrums likely to appear in either crop, diversification of the herbicide program used, promotion of more desirable soil physics, and more complete utilization of machinery and labor available to the operation.
The very high market prices for corn in 2007 have encouraged many Arkansas farmers to switch acres away from cotton, soybeans, and in some cases rice, to corn for the first time in decades. Steve Carpenter, a local Fisher rice farmer, has seized this opportunity to plant corn in 2007. The following photos were taken on the Carpenter farm north of Fisher about March 29th.
This corn field was planted about March 12th, 2007 into a stale seedbed. The corn planter was hitched in tandem with the hippers to perform both operations in a single field pass. This specialized equipment is locally designed and built by Dennis Manufacturing, of Waldenburg, Arkansas. Dennis Manufacturing has built around 30 of these One-Pass Planting Systems for use across the Mid-South.
The fields pictured were planted on hipped beds spaced 30" apart, which is common in the Mid-South. An 8-row planter was used, and an 8-row corn head will also likely be used in the harvest operation to gather and strip the ears from the stalks.
Seed spacing and placement is a critical factor to achieving optimal corn field yields. The above photos illustrate that the seedlings have emerged in a very uniformly-spaced pattern. A desired plant population of 30,000 to 32,000 plants per acre is also necessary to attain the highest possible yield potential from each acre. 
As of April 5th, the corn had quickly grown to the 4-5 leaf stage. Cooler weather is in the forecast this week, which should promote more typical growth rates for early April. The crop continues to look exceptional.
Once the soil dries a bit more from the 1" rain received on March 31st, nitrogen will be applied to the corn crop. For those of us accustomed to producing rice and soybeans, the very aggressive plant development following the application of nitrogen will be very impressive. 
Well, folks, this photo above says it all... Mere hours after taking the previous photos of healthy, vibrant seedling corn with 4-5 leaves, record-setting (since the 1880's) cold weather blanketed the Mid-South and Plains states. During the nights of April 5th-7th temperatures dipped to 26 to 28 degrees each night, effectively killing any growing vegetation. The winter wheat crop is believed to have been severely damaged, as were very early rice crops, and corn crops that had been established earlier in the season across the South.
Area agronomists have been consulted for advice on appropriate actions to take, particularly since the losing of spring-planted crops to a late killing freeze is such a rare phenomenon. In the case of corn, most agronomists feel that sufficient energy remains in the roots and seed to sprout new shoots of corn provided that the crop had not yet reached the 6-leaf stage. If that advice holds true, the field above should recover most of its yield potential, but any gains from an early start to the year will have been totally erased, leaving the crop more vulnerable to insect and high temperature pressures during July.
The "Great Easter Freeze of 2007" was even more damaging due to the very warm March temperatures. This is a good example of the risks farmers around the world face each season. While Amerigui Plantation is effectively immune from risks of freeze damage, other risks do remain, such as insect and bird damage; management of stored grain in a warm, humid environment; and operating in a climate having distinctive wet and dry seasons.
Condolences and a sympathetic hug go out to Steve during this very disappointing development in what had appeared to be an ideal growing season for his corn.
Carpenter's corn fields were replanted to corn during April 14-16. There was insufficient energy remaining in the root system to cause fresh, new shoots to emerge. Due to the shortage of corn seed this planting season, a traditional, non-Roundup-Ready variety had to be planted. This required an additional herbicide application, adding insult to injury to what had been a stellar looking crop in late March.
While the replanting was done in ideal conditions, a couple of rain events occured shortly thereafter which appeared to add slightly more moisture to the soil than would have been desired following planting. The crop looks good, but stands would have been better had there been somewhat less precipitation so early after planting.
As of May 10th, Carpenter's replanted corn crop is just now eclipsing the stage of development reached in early April. The loss of one month of time and subsequent later maturity could cause some reduction in field yield. Other additional costs caused by the Easter Freeze are loss of some nitrogen and additional seed, chemical, and machinery costs.
The photos immediately above and below were taken on May 16th. The corn had grown to 7-10 leaf stage with plenty of moisture and favorable temperatures. Plant spacing is very uniform and populations appear to be near ideal.
A few smaller areas have suffered from wetter than desirable conditions, but all fields have a very good appearance. All fields are remarkably free of grasses and broadleaf weeds.
Northeast Arkansas farmers are specialists in rice, soybeans, and soft red winter wheat. Corn is new to most farmers in this area, but lots of attention is being given to diversifying into corn beginning in 2007. Most feel there will be increasing acres planted to corn in this area in coming years, mostly at the expense of cotton and rice acres.
The additional investment required for specialized planting and harvest machinery is a concern to most smaller farmers. Larger farmers better able to amortize the additional machinery expense seem to be more interested in pursuing alternatives to rice and cotton.
The photo above was taken about June 10th. The amount of growth taken place in the preceding three weeks is impressive. Conditions were unseasonably dry starting in late May. This, coupled with corn's huge demand for water to achieve rapid vegetative growth has resulted in the need to irrigate for the first time.The crop being tracked on this site required irrigation on three occasions through the course of the growing season. By late July the kernel filling process had been completed and the crop had entered the early dent stage of development.
The photo above was taken on August 10th. The crop is nearing maturity, irrigation is no longer beneficial, and the kernels have reached full dent stage. Harvest will take place soon, probably around Sept 1st.
Additonal photos and comments will be added to this section as the growing season progresses.
