DECATUR, Mich. — Moisture, whether Mother Nature or courtesy of farmer Mike Stamp starting the irrigation lines, resulted in yields of more than 200 bushels per acre in a corn trial on his Decatur Farm.

Decatur, located in Van Buren County, is often called the garden spot of Michigan.

“This area received good rainfall all season,” said Rich Schleuning, Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) site manager. “Every time Mike started the irrigation lines, Mother Nature delivered a nice shower.”

Rainfall for the growing season totaled 13 inches, resulting in good stalk and grain quality throughout the test. At harvest, the plants were fully matured, as all of the leaves were gone from the plants.

AgriGold topped the yield list for the season’s test, with variety A6389VT3Pro. It averaged 262.2 bushels per acre and a gross profit of $1,637.70 per acre, just ahead of NuTech variety 5N-001, averaging 257.2 bushels per acre and a gross income of $1608. Moisture levels were 16.8 and 16.6  percent, respectively.

Coming in third was Stine EX 101A, which averaged 251.8 bushels per acre and a gross profit of $1,571.2.

Rounding out the top nine varieties in the test were Stine 9523VT3, Dairyland ST-9303SSX, G2 Genetics 5H-905, Great Lakes 524G3VT3, NuTech 5N-102 and Rupp XR 8239 and XR 8288. Yields ranged from 251.8-242.9 bushels per acre, with moisture levels ranging from 16-17.1 percent. Gross income per acre ranged from $1,515.60-$1,571.20.

Stamp’s farm is sandy loam, well-drained and irrigated. The plots were seeded in 30-inch rows at 34,000 seeds per acre on May 5, with conventional tillage, and harvested Oct. 29. All the varieties planted were Roundup Ready and corn borer and rootworm resistant.

The test plots had been in corn for the previous two-plus years and had been treated with Harness Xtra and Force. The soil is moderately high in potassium and phosphorous, with 6.6 pH and organic matter at about 1.8 percent. Stamp applied nitrogen in both the fall and spring.