No Squawks About Weed Control

Roundup Ready corn frees this grower to tend to his core business.

Jerry Smith shows Danny Guess his harvest-ready bumper crop of SS842RR, a Roundup Ready hybrid available exclusively from Southern States.

With 42,000 hungry chickens to tend to every day, Jerry Smith doesn't have time to worry about weeds in his corn. So for the past two years, he's seeded his entire corn acreage to a herbicide-resistant hybrid that takes most of the hassle out of weed control.

He obviously has made the right choice. In 2002, Smith took top prize in the Georgia division of the National Corn Growers Association yield contest.

His award-winning yield in the conventional-till dryland competition weighed in at 193 bushels per acre.

Smith farms with his son, Jason, near Dawsonville, Ga. For the past two years, they've planted SS842RR, a Roundup Ready® hybrid distributed exclusively by Southern States.

Danny Guess manages Southern States Winder Service in Gainesville, the local Southern States retail store for Jerry and Jason.

Guess reports that the majority of his customers plant Roundup Ready hybrids because they simplify weed control. He adds that SS842RR is one of the most popular hybrids for his area. That's because it offers the advantages of herbicide resistance, and it produces excellent yields.

"Roundup Ready hybrids give growers more planting flexibility," Guess says. "They can plant at the optimum time, then spray for weeds later over-the-top."

Guess notes that Roundup Ready hybrids are especially useful to growers who practice no-till because they can plant right into stubble or cover crop without having to disturb the soil to kill weeds.

"Not having to cultivate cuts down on soil compaction," he explains. "That's a big plus when you're going no-till."

Smith is plagued by a variety of weeds and grasses including johnsongrass, shattercane, cocklebur, morningglory and burr cucumber.

He likes to plant corn during the third week in April at the rate of 24,000 to 26,000 plants per acre in 30-inch rows.

Award-winning corn producers Jason Smith (left) and his dad, Jerry (center), tell Danny Guess that SS842RR not only gave excellent weed control, but also produced bumper yields.

After he plants corn, Jerry has Southern States custom-apply 2 quarts of atrazine per acre mixed with 30 gallons of liquid nitrogen. Later, when corn is about knee-high, he applies Roundup over-the top with his tractor sprayer.

One application generally does the trick. He doesn't need to cultivate, but he occasionally follows up with spot treatments.

Smith depends heavily on his local Southern States store in Gainesville for his crop production inputs and for advice. The co-op provides soil-sampling services and custom applies all of his lime and fertilizer for cropland and pastures, including about 650 pounds of 17-17-17 plus sulfur on his corn.

"Danny Guess and Tim Todd [field sales associate] are always available when I need help," he points out. "They are both knowledgeable, and they provide sound recommendations.

"Tim recommended we try SS842RR, and he was right on," Jerry adds. "He comes by the farm periodically, and we look at the crops together. I consider them as part of my management team."