Can anyone educate me on the benefits of open pollinated corn?

[weever]

We are considering raising some open pollinated corn, but are wondering about the benefits/drawbacks. Does anyone have personal experience and/or data that we could learn from?

[DaleK]

There are some neighbours here growing it. Seems like if you're going to go to the time and expense of making sure you have decent fertility and weed control, the extra yield of hybrid corn will more than make up for the cost. I know my yield is more than double theirs with similar input costs. Mostly OP corn here is used for crop insurance scams by people who don't want to put any money into growing the crop, then when there's no crop there they collect on crop insurance.

[georgec]

I would think that the biggest advantage to Open Pollinated corn would be that you don't have to buy seed. You just keep back a portion of your crop and plant it the next year. If you are surrounded by other corn fields then this would work out to well since their corn would pollinate some of yours.

The problem with everyone growing GM and Hybrid grains is that we are losing genetic diversity. Many wonder strains are becoming extinct. We are at the mercy of the seed companies.

[genebo]

George,

I remember a number of years ago when a rust attacked the hybrid corns. It hadn't been a problem before. Yet seed from the native, resistant variety couldn't be found. They had to go down into central America to find native seed. If we lose the native varieties, we'll have nothing to hybridize from.

It's imperative that we preserve the native breeds of cattle, too. For the same reason.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[tyusclan]

Originally Posted by georgec

If you are surrounded by other corn fields then this would work out to well since their corn would pollinate some of yours.

This is not what you want to happen.

If you're planting open pollinated corn, you want to be at least 1000 feet from any other corn field to be sure that only your corn pollinates itself. If your neighbors have other varieties of corn, and they're close enough to pollinate yours, then your seed would be hybrid corn.

[Shinsan]

You mean you don't want to feed your cows GM corn?!
What are you trying to do, raise healthy animals? ....
Blimey, next you'll be eating GM free food yourself.


Sorry, my hobby horse sometimes gets loose. LOL

[georgec]

Originally Posted by tyusclan

This is not what you want to happen.

If you're planting open pollinated corn, you want to be at least 1000 feet from any other corn field to be sure that only your corn pollinates itself. If your neighbors have other varieties of corn, and they're close enough to pollinate yours, then your seed would be hybrid corn.

I had a typo I meant to say "it would NOT work out".

[georgec]

Originally Posted by genebo

George,

I remember a number of years ago when a rust attacked the hybrid corns. It hadn't been a problem before. Yet seed from the native, resistant variety couldn't be found. They had to go down into central America to find native seed. If we lose the native varieties, we'll have nothing to hybridize from.

It's imperative that we preserve the native breeds of cattle, too. For the same reason.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

You are absolutely right. When you lose the genetics they are impossible to get back.

This is the gripe I have with Show breeders (mainly dogs/cats, horses to a lessor degree). They breed to the standard that is in vogue at the time. They criticize anyone that breeds, but does not show (those terrible backyard breeders). I am of the oppinion that the more healthy animals that are breed the better. The more shallow the gene pool, the more genetic problems crop up. Now, I do think that you should only breed animals that are healthy, and tested to verify health.

Well, back to the topic. I think that there is finally some awareness to this problem. There are several seed saver exchanges. I just hope that we can preserve these heritage seeds, and livestock breeds before it is too lat.

[menollyrj]

This past year we grew OP corn for the first time. No, the yield wasn't as good as on the hybrid GM corn we also planted, but it more than paid for itself. We planted Hickory Cane, which is a VERY tall, white, dent corn. My FIL had saved some seed from a hominy-making adventure of his BIL's. We planted about 2 acres. First, we sold about an acres worth of ears as roasting ears at $2.50 a dozen. It is a popular "old timey" corn in our area, and many people have fond childhood memories of eating hickory cane corn. Then, DH sold that acre with the few small ears (or ones too old/dry to sell) as silage. The second acre also had some ears sold from it, but we cut it in patches to feed to the cattle in lieu of feeding hay (to make our hay supply stretch a bit). We also sold some seed here on HT and at a local flea market.

No, we didn't hit the big time planting OP corn, but we paid nothing for the seed, and made better than $400 on the two acres, not to mention the $$ saved in hay (which would probably equate to another $300-400).

Bottom line: We're planning to plant it again in the spring. I recommend it.

-Joy

[DaleK]

Originally Posted by Shinsan

You mean you don't want to feed your cows GM corn?!
What are you trying to do, raise healthy animals? ....
Blimey, next you'll be eating GM free food yourself.



Sorry, my hobby horse sometimes gets loose. LOL

The one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. There are lots of non-GMO hybrid varieties, and lots of people planting OP corn that came from GMO corn.