ifedola28:




Thanks for your input sir, as I stated earlier, opinions and experiences are welcomed. I appreciate your contribution sir and I am very sure the info you have provided will go a long way. This is like a debate, debate about experiences, in a debate, no one is right and no one is wrong. Our opinions varies. One thing I always do when I am faced with two options and don't know which is better is to try the two and compare


For those in support of fresh maize having a higher profitability than dried maize, you can try selling dried maize and compare

For those in support of dried maize having a higher profitability than fresh maize, you can also give fresh maize a chance and then compare

In life, one must all be willing to learn and improve. One can't afford to stick to just one idea or methodology if one must succeed

As regards premier hybrid seeds, I have a lot to say about it. Please stay tuned and your contributions are highly appreciated

Your potential ability to make comparison made me to put in my ideas here. I think it depends on ones location (marketing is extremely vital). Well, from the tones of those who favor fresh maize, you might guess that they have gone through both options. Just follow @stagger, you will understand well what I am saying. He definitely knows what he is saying. Not speculative but precised.

We should step back a bit to allow you do justice to this topic. I want to learn more also. And even, I wish the supporters of dried maize can come out and give their own input. But one issue is that fresh maize farmers put in more effort to get higher yield. They cannot just afford to produce scanty cobs with grains. And your tassel comment showed that you really researched very well.

I love to read about varieties options which you said you know about well. And I love marketing. Infact, I change the orientation of people I talk to. While they move from Farm to market, I always make them see why it's necessary to move from market to farm. Just let the supporter of dried maize explain in details his/her experience, and you will understand why the option of dried maize favors him/her more. If you do not mind comments which might sound argumentative (afterall, people debate interesting topics more), this thread might be one of the winners in this Agric section. You gat it. Your opening was so captivating. And any serious farmer will definitely know you understand the topic to some reasonable extent.

Bless you madam!

numen:
Sir I know you from https://www.nairaland.com/5178983/40-cucumbers-per-plant-12kg/ and i know you dish out knowledge freely not to criticize but to improve others and yourself.

I can also understand @inspectahdeck point of view and I truly believe the wealth of experience you all will bring to this thread will be phenomenal and serve as a good and realistic guide for current and future maize farmers.

Thank you @Inspectahdeck @Pistotita @ifedola28

Bro, thanks for this. Never realise people are following me like this. Well, @Inspectahdeck seems well grounded in his area too, you are very correct. Infact, I have highlighted points I will ask him especially in the area of glyphsate usage. Yeah, it seems he understands how to use it well. Cos for me it is a big problem asking my workers use it if I am not on farm. Maize farming is a business that involves special skills in handling workers. I have to accept that I must improve in that area. Trying to learn from people how they get those stubborn men and women do the job well. Perhaps if I get the trick better, I can improve on using people more than using technology because it seems many still feel it is a cheaper method. And if this OP @ifedola28 dives into vegetables, starting with sweet corn, she has the potential of being successful.

But I don't want to hijack, or distort her style of writing. She deserves to get her points out clearly. So, for me, I am stepping back, but following her.

Once again, thank you for your kind words. They mean so much to me.

Pistotita:


Bro, thanks for this. Never realise people are following me like this. Well, @Inspectahdeck seems well grounded in his area too, you are very correct. Infact, I have highlighted points I will ask him especially in the area of glyphsate usage. Yeah, it seems he understands how to use it well. Cos for me it is a big problem asking my workers use it if I am not on farm. Maize farming is a business that involves special skills in handling workers. I have to accept that I must improve in that area. Trying to learn from people how they get those stubborn men and women do the job well. Perhaps if I get the trick better, I can improve on using people more than using technology because it seems many still feel it is a cheaper method. And if this OP @ifedola28 dives into vegetables, starting with sweet corn, she has the potential of being successful.

But I don't want to hijack, or distort her style of writing. She deserves to get her points out clearly. So, for me, I am stepping back, but following her.

Once again, thank you for your kind words. They mean so much to me.

@Boss pistotita, I greet u. Thanks op for this awesome thread

Thanks so much for inputs so far, I really appreciate it. No man is an island of knowledge and the more we share this knowledge the better we can be as a country.

FARM INPUTS

Farm inputs are the raw materials directed towards the production of a farm produce/commodity

For maize farming, the major inputs are:

1) Viable seeds
2) Fertilizers
3) Agrochemicals
4) Farm tools and equipment (optional)

I will like to start with Fertilizers before seeds

Fertilizers can be classified into

Organic Fertilizer : manure, organic liquid fertilzers
Inorganic Fertilizers: NPK, Urea, DAP, SSP etc

For Farmers that would love to use manure as a form of fertilzer, pls take note of the following:

1) Never use fresh poultry wastes as manure, it will burn up your plant. At that fresh state, it is referred to as being HOT

2) Never use cow manure for a short term plant. I mean a plant that needs immediate nutrient. Cow manure takes time to decompose. It is only when it is broken down that it can be useful to the plant. If you apply an undecomposed cow manure to a maize plant, you won't see any effect

3) Make sure your poultry manure is properly cured. How do you know if a manure is properly cured? It has a texture similar to a loamy soil and it is supposed to have a sweet smell probably not to you but to insects like butterflies


When I got my manure, I noticed the activity of butterflies on the manure. I knew it was properly cured


INORGANIC FERTILIZERS
The inorganic Fertilizers applied to maize are NPK, Urea or DAP
Urea is a cheap alternative to DAP

For an acre of land with the right plant population, a farmer is expected to add

2 bags of NPK 15:15:15 during planting or 2 wks after planting
and
1 bag of DAP applied at 6 wks

OR

2 bags of NPK 15:15:15 during planting or 2 wks after planting
and

1/2 bag of Urea applied at 6wks

Pls note that the bigger your maize cobs, the higher the price

You can also combine the two types of Fertilizer to improve your yield

Pistotita:


Looks like you are an emotional person. Well, my apologies. My brother/sister, it is all about improvement. Why will I want to rubbish your points and opinions? Of course, I don't do that.

You are not alone in experiencing people rubbing it (you rendering help and voicing out your opinions) at ones face. I get it like minimum of once a month. But this past week has been crazy. lol. From asking me to prove my case to demanding me that I must create time (not 1 person)...bla bla bla. So, if you feel offended, please forgive me.

Usually, I don't jump into threads, but when I see a well organised, brilliant, and intelligent person, I cannot resist rubbing minds with the fellow. But you gat some toughness in you. Really, you do, cos you still dished out the info cos you know what you are saying. However, I have proved my cases at times, dropped it, and accepted to look into my opponents'. And I have returned on some occasions to give feedback that my opponents' idea seems to outweigh mine.

If I believe you at your words without analysis, how can we improve? Don't get me wrong. Just like you, I feel I have no one to question my style since I am not feeding under anyone. But really, I check myself many times also.

Once again, do not feel too bad about the first person's comment, and mine. Not meant to attack you. Infact, you should ask your opponents what they saw, and why they chose the opposite of your believe. That's real discussion. You then may want to ask about their methodologies. I do it many times. From this, I might spot a new way of doing it better. May even not necessarily be that you will do fresh maize, but you might get tricks to improve dried maize production.

Lastly, anyone who holds information firmly cannot receive. This has been a secret that has been shooting me to higher places. As you release, much more come your way. Even people who hold back will sneak to your door and share privately. It pays more to share than to hold on to. Trust me. And the evidence is in social media, digital marketers have realised that free flow and sharing of information is real marketing. And when you share, be ready to receive punches on your face, it is you who will find a strategy of using everything (the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly) to your advantage.


Now, I hope you don't mind the comments of mine about your yield. I think it is low. See, a fresh maize farmer knows that grains on his cobs must be filled to get good deal. So, he does everything possible not to have scanty grains on the cobs. But for the farmer who sells dried, he cares about the total grains. Also, the more the cobs and grains, the more the yield. The standard population for maize is around 53,000 to 60,000 per ha. And pop corn variety is even higher. When you get into sweet corn farming, then, you understand me well. Just watch vegetables farmers who dive into sweet corn production. They are master if fresh maize production. Hope you get me. I think you should aim at minimum of 7 tons per hectare, and 10 to 13 tons is possible. As long as the seed has the potential, it can do it. The issue is that one must remove all hindrances and hurdles to make it possible. You may need to try another variety which might give more yield. I am not criticizing you. But if you are contented with 3 tons, then, who am I to convince or confuse you? My apologies if you find my comments offenssive. But I am sure OP gat it. And I am sure she will get to the secrets of getting high populstion. But she has even already shared it. lol.

It is all well. Have a nice day bro/sister.

I thank you for your response and You do not need all the apologies, we are in a discus and we are to share our view especially when it is on the job/ experience based. I only had a problem with the word SPECULATION.

Also, I am not speaking from one point of view. I have tried selling fresh maize at the farm gate, contracted women to roast and boil corn on some major roads etc.

What made me dive into dried maize.... I met an old woman in one of the villages I have my farms, all she does is to buy maize from farmer, dry and sell when the price is right. For an illiterate woman to do this for years and making a kill from it. I had to buy dry maize from her(I am also a livestock farmer and I also have a factory where I process corn flour) also paid her before she gave me the secret. But like you said we all have our opinion and I am also ready to learn but at least I can share my experience.

Also, about tonnage per hectare to be Frank except one is into mechanised farming achieving 7-10 ton even with the kind of seed is impossible. Also, there are a lot of risk limiting one from achieving same. For example I wrote earlier that antelopes invaded my farm that's a shortage even if I am to sell fresh and so on risk that farmers face. So to be realistic I am contented with what I make at the moment until I can move into mechanised farming. What I make covers for my capital and a lot more as profit.

Thanks

numen:
Thank you Sir. Yes the question was directed at the OP, but I appreciate your prompt response and your experienced contribution.

@bolded is a very good experience worth passing on to others.

Thank you.

Thank you and happy birthday to you. The new year will bring great tidings to you and your family. Do have a splendid day.

Inspectahdeck:


I thank you for your response and You do not need all the apologies, we are in a discus and we are to share our view especially when it is on the job/ experience based. I only had a problem with the word SPECULATION.

Also, I am not speaking from one point of view. I have tried selling fresh maize at the farm gate, contracted women to roast and boil corn on some major roads etc.

What made me dive into dried maize.... I met an old woman in one of the villages I have my farms, all she does is to buy maize from farmer, dry and sell when the price is right. For an illiterate woman to do this for years and making a kill from it. I had to buy dry maize from her(I am also a livestock farmer and I also have a factory where I process corn flour) also paid her before she gave me the secret. But like you said we all have our opinion and I am also ready to learn but at least I can share my experience.

Also, about tonnage per hectare to be Frank except one is into mechanised farming achieving 7-10 ton even with the kind of seed is impossible. Also, there are a lot of risk limiting one from achieving same. For example I wrote earlier that antelopes invaded my farm that's a shortage even if I am to sell fresh and so on risk that farmers face. So to be realistic I am contented with what I make at the moment until I can move into mechanised farming. What I make covers for my capital and a lot more as profit.

Thanks

We appreciate you sir

You can share your opinions on the various types of fertilizers that can be used to boost maize yield

SEEDS

For maize seeds, you have the option of using either

1) Packaged hybrid seeds
2) Unpackaged seeds sold in the open market which aren't necessarily local seeds

HYBRID SEEDS
Hybrid seeds are supposed to be improved seeds. They are supposed to give better yields, resistant to some diseases, resistant to drought. They are supposed to be treated ...
The question here is does maize hybrid seeds actually meet up to the expectation of farmers? Pls state your opinions and recommendations

My Experience

I cultivated Oba super 6 from Premier seeds on the two farms. I noticed that the seeds were so tiny compared to what is sold in the open market. But for a first time maize farmer, the joy of cultivating hybrid seeds was unspeakable.

As I mentioned earlier, those with manure grew better and the cobs were okay but there wasn't really anything spectacular about the size of the cobs when I compared the sizes with that of a nearby local farmer who cultivated seeds bought from the open market. In fact, some of his maize plants were carrying 3 - 4 cobs at the same time.

I was forced to ask him of the type of hybrid maize seeds he planted. He just laughed and said, ' No be hybrid be dis'

I have come across two to three maize farmers who used premier seeds at first and vowed to use open market seeds in the subsequent plant season.

This got me wondering.

What if I purchase open market maize seeds, treat the seeds to avoid loss before germination, apply fertilzers the same way I will do to an hybrid seeds. 'WILL I GET A BETTER YIELD'

Mind you, most of the maize seeds you find in our open markets are imported from Benin republic. It's possible their variety of maize seeds isn't hybrid but open pollinated. Their yield is impressive

No fresh maize buyer will pay you more for cultivating hybrid seeds. They will only pay more depending on the sizes of your maize cobs.

At the end of the day, you find a modern farmer who has spent a lot of money to procure HYBRID seeds selling at the same price with a local farmers that bought his seeds cheaply from the open market. That is obviously a loss to the modern farmer

I am not against farmers using hybrid maize seeds, but do we have other hybrid maize seeds in the market apart from premier seeds? I am not impressed by the yield gotten from premier seeds.

Pls drop your opinions. Thanks

Inspectahdeck:


I thank you for your response and You do not need all the apologies, we are in a discus and we are to share our view especially when it is on the job/ experience based. I only had a problem with the word SPECULATION.

Also, I am not speaking from one point of view. I have tried selling fresh maize at the farm gate, contracted women to roast and boil corn on some major roads etc.

What made me dive into dried maize.... I met an old woman in one of the villages I have my farms, all she does is to buy maize from farmer, dry and sell when the price is right. For an illiterate woman to do this for years and making a kill from it. I had to buy dry maize from her(I am also a livestock farmer and I also have a factory where I process corn flour) also paid her before she gave me the secret. But like you said we all have our opinion and I am also ready to learn but at least I can share my experience.

Also, about tonnage per hectare to be Frank except one is into mechanised farming achieving 7-10 ton even with the kind of seed is impossible. Also, there are a lot of risk limiting one from achieving same. For example I wrote earlier that antelopes invaded my farm that's a shortage even if I am to sell fresh and so on risk that farmers face. So to be realistic I am contented with what I make at the moment until I can move into mechanised farming. What I make covers for my capital and a lot more as profit.

Thanks

Hmmm! Thanks for this. I understand you very well. Sir, selling to those women is double edged sword. But someone showed me a market in Lagos which is close to Mike 12. That market absorbs any quantity. I went there to check, and I mapped out my strategy. Like OP said, the bigger the cob size, the better. Hmm! Grains can even be small. But starch producers are interested in bigger grains with high starch content. One must know the targeted market. If you observe, Monsanto is about high starch content. I understand why you are into premier seeds. For me, farming is marketing first before I move to farm. I understand you better now. It is well.

And the issue of antelope attacks is not encouraging. Oh! That's not good. I would go buy local guns bullets, and employed hunters to help me finish them. Let animal rights fighter come and arrest me. lol. In fact, I will post how we finish their meat inside large pot, and attach the python we killed and ate (though, I don't eat snake) so that that super mod can move it to front page. lol..

I know 7 tons can be tough. I am not beating my chest I can do it right now. In fact, I am going to be sincere with you, I cannot because those farm boys are demo.ns. Neither am I a strict person, nor someone who enforces instructions by real force. I talk, tell you what to do, and I leave. That's me. So, I don't enjoy staying with workers in the sun. Like how OP mentioned that he deployed human planters and the guy put 10 seeds in a hole....lol. I don't have such patience anf strength to shout at grown up adults forcing them to do what they are paid for. If you are not useful to me, if you cannot use your common sense, (I do not mean you sir) you have no business with me. And many farm managers are dullards. I am sorry to use the word. Therefore, many farm owners are slaves tied to their farms. They cannot leave their farm for just 3 days without getting high blood pressure. Is that a good business?

There are 5 people I am working with presently, but my interest is with a lady. Waoooo! She is just pro active (mind you, I have not met her), but "that thing pikin dey stretch to look at, the papa don see am sharp sharp from far". When I say build up gradually, some serious minded people think I am down grading them. Workers are ma....aaad! Let me just say it that way. They can turn upside down a wonderful idea. They just do not care about the project, but about their stomach. Sir, I get you.

One guy was beating it's chest that he can clear 20 ha without destroying the top soil some years ago. I just decided to stay off cos I was like restricting the owner from starting very big. After the operation, the owner nearly cried. And the bulldozer guy collected his pay neatly. The whole soil structure was ba.stardized. Do you know what I did? I consoled the man. Inside me, "next time, you will learn to listen to those who had experienced it". I don't argue with anyone who thinks he must know the details, and do it in his own way. I dont. Never!

Therefore, look into small scale planters (not those attached to tractors), fertilizers applicators, weeders (I think you even know how to use herbicides well), etc. Just start with 1 plot and test your hands on the equipment. I saw your spacing, but I always go with 25cm btw plants in row, and 75cm between rows. 25 × 75. Believe me if you can practice achieving this population on a plot, it will be easier on 1 acre. If you use 1 planter for 1 hr, just add more planters and reduce number of times for ha. It means you will have to train the boys very well too. How you will do it, I am not sure. lol.

I cannot do even what I have recommended cos I have measured my capability, and I know I cannot. lol. So, no maize farming for me now. hahahah. But I always have sweet corn plants all round my open field. They serve a particular purpose for me. A trick I got from a good friend.

ifedola28:
My Experience

I cultivated Oba super 6 from Premier seeds on the two farms. I noticed that the seeds were so tiny compared to what is sold in the open market. But for a first time maize farmer, the joy of cultivating hybrid seeds was unspeakable.

As I mentioned earlier, those with manure grew better and the cobs were okay but there wasn't really anything spectacular about the size of the cobs when I compared the sizes with that of a nearby local farmer who cultivated seeds bought from the open market. In fact, some of his maize plants were carrying 3 - 4 cobs at the same time.

I was forced to ask him of the type of hybrid maize seeds he planted. He just laughed and said, ' No be hybrid be dis'

I have come across two to three maize farmers who used premier seeds at first and vowed to use open market seeds in the subsequent plant season.

This got me wondering.

What if I purchase open market maize seeds, treat the seeds to avoid loss before germination, apply fertilzers the same way I will do to an hybrid seeds. 'WILL I GET A BETTER YIELD'

Mind you, most of the maize seeds you find in our open markets are imported from Benin republic. It's possible their variety of maize seeds isn't hybrid but open pollinated. Their yield is impressive

No fresh maize buyer will pay you more for cultivating hybrid seeds. They will only pay more depending on the sizes of your maize cobs.

At the end of the day, you find a modern farmer who has spent a lot of money to procure HYBRID seeds selling at the same price with a local farmers that bought his seeds cheaply from the open market. That is obviously a loss to the modern farmer

I am not against farmers using hybrid maize seeds, but do we have other hybrid maize seeds in the market apart from premier seeds? I am not impressed by the yield gotten from premier seeds.

Pls drop your opinions. Thanks

Now dear readers, tell me if this OP is not like me? Don't you think we have the same pattern of reasoning? There is no way you go to farm with your head intact, and you will not detect that seeds sellers are just making money. And it is alway by luck you stumble on the right seed for you. Even seed companies know this secret. Once they stumble on the right OP seed, they will not tell anyone. They go into their greenhouse and cross it with another breed just to make it hybrid but without losing the major characteristics of the OP. They want you return to them to buy. Business is Business. No hard feeling. But if you are a good farmer with your head intact, you will discover many things. This is why I hate answering the question: which seed is the best for my area? Who told you seed makers want to give you the best seeds. They only want to sell and sell to you. Simple. Let us not underestimate the power of OP varieties.

As regards fertilization. The concept is this:

1. NPK at planting time - P for good roots, N for development of stem and leaves, and K to shoot up the plants too.

2. At 6 weeks that you mentioned, that is when huge Nitrogen comes into play. Now, you noticed that DAP works for you. Yeah....Di-ammonium means double Nitrogen in plain words ...just almost close to urea which is 46%. Super high Nitrogen. But the issue with Urea is that it evaporates faster. Also, the P in DAP helps with building good cells for the corn. But if you add little K, boommmm! That is a blast. And just make sure you blast it with irrigation. This is the time (tassle) you actually build high yield. But if you do not have a very good start with NPK basal, it will still affect this stage. So, my recommendation is this: 40% DAP + 40% Urea + 20% NPK. And spray micronutrient (add calcium, Magnesium, and sulphur). You will surely see what is called bumper harvest. If you can't get DAP, use 80% Urea + 20% NPK. You still need phosphorus and potassium. But N is the most important nutrient when it comes to corn.

As regard using compost vs manure, it takes local farmers months to get compost from manure. Lol to cow manure. There is a way to use it. Anyway, if you can simply turn over your manure every other day, you can get compost in 21 days. Harvard University demonstrated it first, and Asians improved on it using microbes which are fast decomposers. It depends on what you know, but you sure can do it. But not an easy task. Very hectic. But hey! Guys do it. Or, you just adopt using green manure which I favor more. High Nitrogen in the soil before one sow seeds. This is the best method I have seen so far.

Pistotita:


Hmmm! Thanks for this. I understand you very well. Sir, selling to those women is double edged sword. But someone showed me a market in Lagos which is close to Mike 12. That market absorbs any quantity. I went there to check, and I mapped out my strategy. Like OP said, the bigger the cob size, the better. Hmm! Grains can even be small. But starch producers are interested in bigger grains with high starch content. One must know the targeted market. If you observe, Monsanto is about high starch content. I understand why you are into premier seeds. For me, farming is marketing first before I move to farm. I understand you better now. It is well.

And the issue of antelope attacks is not encouraging. Oh! That's not good. I would go buy local guns bullets, and employed hunters to help me finish them. Let animal rights fighter come and arrest me. lol. In fact, I will post how we finish their meat inside large pot, and attach the python we killed and ate (though, I don't eat snake) so that that super mod can move it to front page. lol..

I know 7 tons can be tough. I am not beating my chest I can do it right now. In fact, I am going to be sincere with you, I cannot because those farm boys are demo.ns. Neither am I a strict person, nor someone who enforces instructions by real force. I talk, tell you what to do, and I leave. That's me. So, I don't enjoy staying with workers in the sun. Like how OP mentioned that he deployed human planters and the guy put 10 seeds in a hole....lol. I don't have such patience anf strength to shout at grown up adults forcing them to do what they are paid for. If you are not useful to me, if you cannot use your common sense, (I do not mean you sir) you have no business with me. And many farm managers are dullards. I am sorry to use the word. Therefore, many farm owners are slaves tied to their farms. They cannot leave their farm for just 3 days without getting high blood pressure. Is that a good business?

There are 5 people I am working with presently, but my interest is with a lady. Waoooo! She is just pro active (mind you, I have not met her), but "that thing pikin dey stretch to look at, the papa don see am sharp sharp from far". When I say build up gradually, some serious minded people think I am down grading them. Workers are ma....aaad! Let me just say it that way. They can turn upside down a wonderful idea. They just do not care about the project, but about their stomach. Sir, I get you.

One guy was beating it's chest that he can clear 20 ha without destroying the top soil some years ago. I just decided to stay off cos I was like restricting the owner from starting very big. After the operation, the owner nearly cried. And the bulldozer guy collected his pay neatly. The whole soil structure was ba.stardized. Do you know what I did? I consoled the man. Inside me, "next time, you will learn to listen to those who had experienced it". I don't argue with anyone who thinks he must know the details, and do it in his own way. I dont. Never!

Therefore, look into small scale planters (not those attached to tractors), fertilizers applicators, weeders (I think you even know how to use herbicides well), etc. Just start with 1 plot and test your hands on the equipment. I saw your spacing, but I always go with 25cm btw plants in row, and 75cm between rows. 25 × 75. Believe me if you can practice achieving this population on a plot, it will be easier on 1 acre. If you use 1 planter for 1 hr, just add more planters and reduce number of times for ha. It means you will have to train the boys very well too. How you will do it, I am not sure. lol.

I cannot do even what I have recommended cos I have measured my capability, and I know I cannot. lol. So, no maize farming for me now. hahahah. But I always have sweet corn plants all round my open field. They serve a particular purpose for me. A trick I got from a good friend.



Now dear readers, tell me if this OP is not like me? Don't you think we have the same pattern of reasoning? There is no way you go to farm with your head intact, and you will not detect that seeds sellers are just making money. And it is alway by luck you stumble on the right seed for you. Even seed companies know this secret. Once they stumble on the right OP seed, they will not tell anyone. They go into their greenhouse and cross it with another breed just to make it hybrid but without losing the major characteristics of the OP. They want you return to them to buy. Business is Business. No hard feeling. But if you are a good farmer with your head intact, you will discover many things. This is why I hate answering the question: which seed is the best for my area? Who told you seed makers want to give you the best seeds. They only want to sell and sell to you. Simple. Let us not underestimate the power of OP varieties.

As regards fertilization. The concept is this:

1. NPK at planting time - P for good roots, N for development of stem and leaves, and K to shoot up the plants too.

2. At 6 weeks that you mentioned, that is when huge Nitrogen comes into play. Now, you noticed that DAP works for you. Yeah....Di-ammonium means double Nitrogen in plain words ...just almost close to urea which is 46%. Super high Nitrogen. But the issue with Urea is that it evaporates faster. Also, the P in DAP helps with building good cells for the corn. But if you add little K, boommmm! That is a blast. And just make sure you blast it with irrigation. This is the time (tassle) you actually build high yield. But if you do not have a very good start with NPK basal, it will still affect this stage. So, my recommendation is this: 40% DAP + 40% Urea + 20% NPK. And spray micronutrient (add calcium, Magnesium, and sulphur). You will surely see what is called bumper harvest. If you can't get DAP, use 80% Urea + 20% NPK. You still need phosphorus and potassium. But N is the most important nutrient when it comes to corn.

As regard using compost vs manure, it takes local farmers months to get compost from manure. Lol to cow manure. There is a way to use it. Anyway, if you can simply turn over your manure every other day, you can get compost in 21 days. Harvard University demonstrated it first, and Asians improved on it using microbes which are fast decomposers. It depends on what you know, but you sure can do it. But not an easy task. Very hectic. But hey! Guys do it. Or, you just adopt using green manure which I favor more. High Nitrogen in the soil before one sow seeds. This is the best method I have seen so far.

I am learning so much from you sir. I will contact you soon

Farm tools and equipment

What differentiate a modern farmer from a local one is mechanized farming.

As Pistotita rightly said, you don't need tractor driven implements to carry out some farm operations on a maize farm. There are mini version of these implements, some of which includes:

1) Seed Planter
2) Motorized weeders

Other equipment needed include knapsack for spraying Agrochemicals

One of the secret to making good profit in maize farming is the plant population. Personally, I don't advise Intercropping maize with cassava. If you want to make money from maize farming, then plant it alone. But you will be planting up to three times in a year without irrigation and up to 5 times with irrigation

The seed planter comes in two different forms

Single chamber
Double Chambers

The single chamber comes with a seed chamber only

A double chamber comes with both seed chamber and fertilzer chamber. Using a double chamber implies that as you are planting, you are applying fertilzer at the same time

WEED MANAGEMENT

After planting your maize seeds, you are expected to weed after 4-6weeks. Their are three ways of managing weeds

1) Using herbicides
2) Weeding using manual means
3) Weeding using mechanical means

Which of the three have proved most effective for managing weeds on a farmland.

Pls post your comments

Weeding using manual means: this involves using Cutlass or hoe to get rid of weeds on the farm. It could be a slow process and quite expensive compared to other methods

Weeding using mechanical means: this involves using motorized equipment to manage weeds on the farm. It is cheaper and a faster alternative to manual weeding

Use of Herbicides: this is the use of chemicals for controlling weeds on a farm
There are different types of Herbicides. The use of herbicides is also dependent on the leaf structure of the plant you want to eradicate.

These herbicides are referred to as selective and non selective herbicides
Selective herbicides kills selected plants. There are selective herbicides for grasses and others for broadleaf

Non selective herbicides kills all types of plant

a) Broad leaves: Any leaf that doesn't have the structure of a grass leaf falls into this category e.g cassava, potato etc

b) Grasses: plants that have long needle-like shaped leaves e.g rice, maize etc

Before I go into the types of Herbicides, I will like to explain the reason why it isn't advisable to plant maize and cassava together especially if you intend using chemical means of managing weeds.

On a farm where only maize is cultivated, maize falls into the category of grasses, you can use broad leaves herbicides for that type of farm. These herbicides will only kill anything broad leaves and will have no effect on all the grasses on your farm including your maize.

On a farm where only cassava is cultivated, cassava falls into the category of broadleaf, you can use Herbicides that kills grasses on such farm. In this case, only the grasses on your farm will be killed, all broad leaves will remain intact.

But there are ways farmers control other broadleaves on a cassava farm. It's either you spray the herbicides before the cassava starts germinating, or you carefully spray after they have attained a certain height. Any carelessness in this case will lead to the death of the cassava plants

Types of Herbicides
a) Contact herbicides
b) Systemic herbicides

Contact herbicides: this type of herbicide kills every part of the plant tissue it comes in contact with. That means it kills the visible part of the plant but the root of the plant is unaffected

Systemic herbicides: this type of herbicide is absorbed by the plant into it's body thereby killing every part if the plant including the leaves

MY EXPERIENCE

My farm had a combination of broadleaf and grasses. After weeding, I applied glyphosate which is a nonselective herbicide and atrazine to kill the seeds of the weeds. After a few weeks, I noticed that the broadleaves on the farm were growing rapidly, since I was yet to plant to cassava, I was able to use a selective herbicide to get rid of the broadleaves.

I planted cassava afterwards. When my maize was almost due for harvest, I could see gigantic grasses growing all over the farm. I couldn't use selective herbicides as my maize is also a grass. I was so helpless. I was told the only option was to use manual means which of course was very expensive.

Personally, in my next farming episode, I will be saying a big NO to herbicides. Its not as effective as it claims to be especially during raining season. Weeds bounces back faster and stronger than what they used to be.

Best weed management option to me is the use of mechanical weeders

Pls post your fertilzers and herbicides experiences.

Thanks

Yep, had the same experience. Spent a good deal of money on paraquat and atrazine and the weeds were all back within 3 weeks. I may use Nitrosulfuron much later, but no more of the non-selectives.

ifedola28:
WEED MANAGEMENT

After planting your maize seeds, you are expected to weed after 4-6weeks. Their are three ways of managing weeds

1) Using herbicides
2) Weeding using manual means
3) Weeding using mechanical means

Which of the three have proved most effective for managing weeds on a farmland.

Pls post your comments

Educative thread u have here sis.

My choice of weeding is herbicides. I use any a.I nicosulfuron, such as striker , guard force, i sometimes mix wt atrazine. Nico is selective to corn n very potent, just 100ml in ur tank, u get d magic. But transplanted veggies can nt survive in that land in d next 3 months. I fell victim once, so I stopped using it, cos I cherished d life of my veggies more.
I am currently using glyphosate/paraquat. I improvised a hood over my nozzle at a low pressure to focus/control d direction of d vapour with d hood very closed to d ground to avoid diversion by wind. I spray in such a way that the mouth of d nozzle/hood is directed away from d plants, tho injury sometimes but very minimal. Frustration from workers can make one think outside box.

What's the cost of the seed planters both single and double? I saw it somewhere here in nairaland going for N60k. I am hoping I can get it cheaper somewhere.

Thanks.

ifedola28:
One of the secret to making good profit in maize farming is the plant population. Personally, I don't advise Intercropping maize with cassava. If you want to make money from maize farming, then plant it alone. But you will be planting up to three times in a year without irrigation and up to 5 times with irrigation

The seed planter comes in two different forms

Single chamber
Double Chambers

The single chamber comes with a seed chamber only

A double chamber comes with both seed chamber and fertilzer chamber. Using a double chamber implies that as you are planting, you are applying fertilzer at the same time

Inspectahdeck:


The best way to make profit is to dry the maize. Fresh maize sales at the farm gate is not profitable. A 50 kg bag goes for 3,000-12,000 depending on the period.

Also, to make profit with dry maize 1. The spacing of the maize on the farm is important 2. Quality of seed used 3. The soil 4. If you have a very good soil you may not add fertiliser. 5. Storage facilities after harvest.

Dry maize are used by companies, pap makers, livestock farmers, etc. Therefore, the is market for same when sold at the right time.

Storage is a very big problem... hopefully we can discuss about it.

The 50kg of maize bag, how many maize is inside

ifedola28:
My Experience

I cultivated Oba super 6 from Premier seeds on the two farms. I noticed that the seeds were so tiny compared to what is sold in the open market. But for a first time maize farmer, the joy of cultivating hybrid seeds was unspeakable.

As I mentioned earlier, those with manure grew better and the cobs were okay but there wasn't really anything spectacular about the size of the cobs when I compared the sizes with that of a nearby local farmer who cultivated seeds bought from the open market. In fact, some of his maize plants were carrying 3 - 4 cobs at the same time.

I was forced to ask him of the type of hybrid maize seeds he planted. He just laughed and said, ' No be hybrid be dis'

I have come across two to three maize farmers who used premier seeds at first and vowed to use open market seeds in the subsequent plant season.

This got me wondering.

What if I purchase open market maize seeds, treat the seeds to avoid loss before germination, apply fertilzers the same way I will do to an hybrid seeds. 'WILL I GET A BETTER YIELD'

Mind you, most of the maize seeds you find in our open markets are imported from Benin republic. It's possible their variety of maize seeds isn't hybrid but open pollinated. Their yield is impressive

No fresh maize buyer will pay you more for cultivating hybrid seeds. They will only pay more depending on the sizes of your maize cobs.

At the end of the day, you find a modern farmer who has spent a lot of money to procure HYBRID seeds selling at the same price with a local farmers that bought his seeds cheaply from the open market. That is obviously a loss to the modern farmer

I am not against farmers using hybrid maize seeds, but do we have other hybrid maize seeds in the market apart from premier seeds? I am not impressed by the yield gotten from premier seeds.

Pls drop your opinions. Thanks

Did u add fertilizer to it? I mean the oba super 6

Chiansky:


The 50kg of maize bag, how many maize is inside

The maize is shelled and put in the bag. Once bagged, it is the weight of the bag that comes into play and not number of cobs. So your question in this case does not apply here.

Let me drop my own, I just started my maize farm like last 3 weeks, as of yesterday I became disturbed about selling when they are matured, so went ahead to make inquiries, someone I asked how much he will sell his told me 30n per cobe but I think that's on a high said anyway. Nxt week I will be going to Lagos to do market survey and marketing as well. By the way I planter oba super 6, one thing I noticed with high braid is it needs much fertilizer so if you plan on using them prepare for fertilizer and never manage them, at most 3 bags of NPK 15:15:15 for one hr. I should have gone for open pollinated as they told me was better for fresh maize.

Now my planting method.


first I used manure hand planter to plant almost 2hr of land, the remaining part of the land will be done with hand, I used rops to separate the distance between 75cm so in each 10m I will get 13 stands of maize. Now my plan is to sell fresh because I feel its more profitable and less stressful than dried maize, from my calculations if you have 45000 stands in an hr and each produce 1 cobe each and you sell for 10n you make 450000n based on calculation. As you can see population matters a lot in maize farming because that will bring in more profit. One of the things I will not do is I will not sell in kgs if it doesn't profit me. So for those that have sold fresh before how many cobes of fresh maize are in 50kg, as a farmer you should know all this calculation so as to know which favours u. Yes some persons will say it varies with size but you should know the minimum and maximum amount. Picture of my farm below

stagger:


The maize is shelled and put in the bag. Once bagged, it is the weight of the bag that comes into play and not number of cobs. So your question in this case does not apply here.

Now I understand, he was referring to dried maize, I thought it was still fresh maize as I was confused.

One other question I will love to ask is, how much do the buy fresh maize from the farm, how do the sell, we know farmers need to know this things, is it in dozens or what. Pls if u have sold fresh let us hear from u

stagger:


The maize is shelled and put in the bag. Once bagged, it is the weight of the bag that comes into play and not number of cobs. So your question in this case does not apply here.

At bros I have been trying to contact u since, this is my email pls send ur number to me so I can call you. Chibansky@gmail.com.

Chiansky:
One other question I will love to ask is, how much do the buy fresh maize from the farm, how do the sell, we know farmers need to know this things, is it in dozens or what. Pls if u have sold fresh let us hear from u

The price you sell your fresh maize depends on
a) your location
b) the size of your maize cobs
c) the time of harvest

Location has a very important role in determining ao much you get to sell your maize cobs. In Ogun state, last year, 6-7 small to medium sized maize was sold for N200 and 4-5 large maize cobs were sold for the same price at that same price

As at last June - August, 12-13 small to medium cobs of maize sells for N200 an about 9-10 large cobs sells for the same price.

I was chatting with a farmer based in PH, he told me that maize sold for 3-4 for N300 during March season and presently sells for 7-8 maize cobs for N400

Maize planted around January, February usually have the highest selling value