Georgia Corn Production Guide

Corn production in Georgia declined in 2022 following 4 years of continual increases between 2018 and 2021. The planted acreage of corn in Georgia decreased by 11.5% in 2022 compared to 2021 but is still greater than 2019, a pre-COVID19 pandemic year. The harvested acreage also decreased by 13.5% in 2022 compared to 2021. Likewise, grain yield increased by 4% in 2022 compared to 2021. Corn planted and harvested acreage, as well as grain yield, over the past 10 years in Georgia is shown in Table 1. Corn is a vital crop in row crop rotations in Georgia, ensuring the diversity and stability of farm income. Corn remains the third-largest row crop, after cotton and peanut, and according to the 2023 Georgia AgSnapshots report, corn's economic value was $509.1 million, the eighth agricultural commodity by economic value in Georgia. Georgia corn is also vital to the state’s livestock and ethanol industries. On average, Georgia farmers produce more than 60 million bushels per year. The majority of Georgia corn production is dent corn or field corn and agronomic production practices vary by region. Across the state, most of the corn is grown on 30 to 36-inch row spacings with some growers going as wide as 40 inches and others going as narrow as 15 inches. In the Coastal Plain region, tillage systems are predominately conventional or strip-till, whereas the Piedmont and Mountain regions are predominately strip-till or no-till. Furthermore, in the Coastal Plain approximately 90% of the corn is irrigated, compared to approximately 50% and 10% for the Piedmont and Mountain regions, respectively. Irrigation is crucial in the Coastal Plain, where sandy soils with low water holding capacity dominate, to achieve high-yielding corn. Soils with greater water holding capacities and shallow water tables in river bottoms help offset the effects of drought in the Piedmont and Mountain regions. Across all these different production systems, Georgia corn growers have demonstrated the ability to achieve great corn grain yields in the past. These yields have been achieved through the adoption of modern corn hybrids coupled with improved management technologies and careful attention paid to all production practices. In 2022, multiple growers in Georgia had yields of 300+ bushels in irrigated production systems. While many of these yields were achieved with great help from favorable environmental conditions, they were still a product of great management systems. As you strive to increase your corn yields, the key is to carefully consider and track all your management decisions and practices throughout the growing season. Detailed field notes are not only a good way to understand what you did right during the growing season, but more importantly, to know what went wrong. Knowing what went wrong during one growing season will help prevent the same missteps in the following years. The following chapters contain information gathered from years of research in Georgia and will hopefully help you in making the best crop possible with maximum returns from your 2022 corn crop.