Corn College, July 21
The first day of Corn College is done and 250 plus growers left the Heyworth, Illinois site a little more knowledgeable and a lot more exhausted! More farmers from Iowa were there than any other state - followed by Illinois and Ohio. One farmer flew into the site on his own plane. And another rode in on a Harley Davidson. Farmers from as far as New York came to check it out as well!
Threatening thunderclouds held back to reveal an unusually cool July day. There was lots of talk regarding the wet cold weather plaguing much of the Corn Belt states. A quick dinner time survey revealed that Iowa farmers were in the best position this season.
The Stoller team set to work early visiting the nearby Farm Journal test plots. A plot treated with Bio-Forge was applied at planting with the starter (1 pint/acre) and the second plot used a foliar application of Bio-Forge at the V-6 stage.
Isaac Ferrie from Crop Tech Consulting shared that there was some difference early on where the Bio-Forge plants seemed taller and had stronger emergence…but today both plants were basically the same height. The biggest difference was in digging the plants up. The corn treated with Bio-Forge was more difficult to get out of the ground - because of the substantial root mass.
Looking a bit like a corn jungle, we brought buckets of corn plants back to the booth to show farmers what was going on out in the Farm Journal test plots. We washed the dirt off the root of several plants to reveal the striking difference in the root system when comparing the control plant to Bio-Forge treated plants.
Those roots got a lot of attention and started a lot of good conversations. Jerry Stoller, founder and CEO of StollerUSA, was there in person to share with farmers how Bio-Forge works to reduce plant stress and maximize genetic expression.
Al Pell from U.S. Farm Report took time to interview Jerry Stoller and offer insight to farmers beyond Corn College on how Stoller’s technology is working for progressive corn growers throughout the nation.
Jerry also held three tech sessions right in the Stoller/Bio-Forge demo plot located on the Corn College campus. Over half of the sessions attendees took a moment to walk through the corn and see the physical differences between Bio-Forge treated and untreated corn.
Bio-Forge’s influence through the cold damp soil conditions in which the plot was planted were clear when analizing the field. Bio-Forge treated sections were much higher in plant population - revealing how Bio-Forge had helped more plants weather the stress and get a good start. Fewer brace roots on the Bio-Forge plants revealed a healthier and stronger root system below.
Overall, it seemed like the Stoller technology sessions enticed new conversations. Farmers are hungry for ways to enhance yields and increase profits.
And the conversation continues on Wednesday!