Water in Agriculture: Improving Corn Production Practices to Minimize Climate Risk and Optimize Profitability

Recent improvements in climate modeling and consolidation within the agriculture and weather industries result in producers who are aware of relatively short-term weather patterns and can modify their cropping and irrigation strategies accordingly. Advances in breeding and genetics have improved stress tolerance of commercial corn hybrids and, along with seed treatment advances, allows seedlings to withstand cool, moist temperatures. Our work in the Mid-South USA region suggests that there are potential moisture savings with minor modifications to existing irrigation and agronomic practices. Data from over 14 farmer fields and four research stations over the 2013 to 2015 growing seasons suggest that by implementing minor irrigation modifications, we can improve yield by approximately 3 to 5% (8 bu/A) and reduce the amount of water applied by 40% all while increasing profitability. Planting date, plant population, and hybrid selection can also be optimized to improve the profitability of the system and lower risk.