Field Corn - What Happened???

[Farmerboy]

I'll make this short....

My daughter got six baby ducks for Easter. My wife and daughter got the idea that we would raise a small plot of field corn (150-feet by 50-feet) for feed during the winter. I know, I know, it would likely be easier to just go and buy the corn already shelled. But, we wanted to have the pride of raising our own.

So.....I went into the local feed & seed and discovered that the smallest bag of field corn seed I could purchase was 50-pounds, and was somewhere around $220 and would plant 3 acres. My face was like this -

I go into the second store, find out that a non-round up ready bag will run me somewhere around $130, and would still be the 50-pound bag. I thanked the owner for his time, explained my situation, and then asked if he knew of anywhere I could just buy 5 pounds. He then told me, BY LAW, he couldn't separate the bag, and that he didn't know of anywhere to purchase the seed in such a small quantity.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear that when I was a kid, you could go into the local feed & seed and purchase field corn by the pound/ounce out of an old wood box, with a metal scoop, and an old scale.

What happened in the past 30 years that the sale of corn seed is now regulated by law? I LOVE America. Live on a farm. Fly the flag everyday. But when I heard that, I was completely shocked and disappointed.

I'm just going to ask my neigbor (a corn farmer) if he'll sell me 5 pounds of seed.

Obviously I've gotten lost in the past somewhere, but is anyone else floored by this?

 

[newbury]

http://sustainableseedco.com/heirlo...seed/truckers-favorite-yellow-corn-seeds.html

5lbs for $27

Truckers Favorite Yellow Corn Seeds - Sustainable Seed Co.

 

[Timm250]

Go to the local feed store & buy a 50lb bag of regular feed corn. Plant what you need & feed the the rest to the animals. I have planted this for food plots & it works just fine.

 

[stuckmotor]

Go to the local feed store & buy a 50lb bag of regular feed corn. Plant what you need & feed the the rest to the animals. I have planted this for food plots & it works just fine.

That sounds like an excellent idea. Unless, the corn police come out and decide you've planted round up ready corn.
http://nelsonfarm.net/issue.htm

 

[Creamer]

Go to the local feed store & buy a 50lb bag of regular feed corn. Plant what you need & feed the the rest to the animals. I have planted this for food plots & it works just fine.

Just plant it thicker than normal as some will not germinate.

 

[farmgirl19]

I think R H Shumway has the yellow dent field corn. I actually think it taste better than the sweet corn. More flavor, and less sweet. It is NOT GMO, as Shumway does not sell GMO.

Garden Seed | Vegetable Garden Seed | Garden Seed Catalog | Garden Seed Company | R.H. Shumway's

 

[sam5570]

I'll make this short....

My daughter got six baby ducks for Easter. My wife and daughter got the idea that we would raise a small plot of field corn (150-feet by 50-feet) for feed during the winter. I know, I know, it would likely be easier to just go and buy the corn already shelled. But, we wanted to have the pride of raising our own.

So.....I went into the local feed & seed and discovered that the smallest bag of field corn seed I could purchase was 50-pounds, and was somewhere around $220 and would plant 3 acres. My face was like this -

I go into the second store, find out that a non-round up ready bag will run me somewhere around $130, and would still be the 50-pound bag. I thanked the owner for his time, explained my situation, and then asked if he knew of anywhere I could just buy 5 pounds. He then told me, BY LAW, he couldn't separate the bag, and that he didn't know of anywhere to purchase the seed in such a small quantity.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear that when I was a kid, you could go into the local feed & seed and purchase field corn by the pound/ounce out of an old wood box, with a metal scoop, and an old scale.

What happened in the past 30 years that the sale of corn seed is now regulated by law? I LOVE America. Live on a farm. Fly the flag everyday. But when I heard that, I was completely shocked and disappointed.

I'm just going to ask my neigbor (a corn farmer) if he'll sell me 5 pounds of seed.

Obviously I've gotten lost in the past somewhere, but is anyone else floored by this?

don't you know now days [you don't feed corn to nothing but your vehicle]

 

[MotorSeven]

don't you know now days [you don't feed corn to nothing but your vehicle]

no kidding.........

 

[Barry 1]

You can buy Reids's yellow dent on Ebay-best buy I saw was 10# for $30

 

[Stimw]

Go to the local feed store & buy a 50lb bag of regular feed corn. Plant what you need & feed the the rest to the animals. I have planted this for food plots & it works just fine.

You have to be careful that it wasn't treated with anything to help it germinate!

 

[Mace Canute]

You have to be careful that it wasn't treated with anything to help it germinate!

Go to the local feed store & buy a 50lb bag of regular feed corn. Plant what you need & feed the the rest to the animals. I have planted this for food plots & it works just fine.

Why would feed corn be treated with anything to enhance germination?

 

[pjbci]

Ive never seen a bag of seed corn that was not treated. And i have quite a few thousand bags of field corn.

 

[CliffordK]

If you get birdseed, it will not be treated.

However, corn is often mixed with other things. But, you might get some. A larger feed supplier should have it, especially if they make their own feed.

 

[tow653]

Stop by and see if a farmer has some left over from his plantings,when they change varieties,they empty planter and often have open bags.

 

[cmhyland]

Farmerboy,

You could also go buy a 50lb bag of whole kernal corn for 12 bucks and plant that.. and feed the excess to the ducks.... This is of course if you don't plan on eating any of the corn....

Regards,
Chris

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Why would feed corn be treated with anything to enhance germination?

Not feed corn, seed corn, to reduce disease in the seedlings and to kill rodents who eat it. Almost all seed corn is treated with poisons.

 

[KennyG]

Not feed corn, seed corn, to reduce disease in the seedlings and to kill rodents who eat it. Almost all seed corn is treated with poisons.

Exactly. There have been some international disasters where treated seeds, with warnings in some other language than is spoken locally, was used as food. The poisons are why the dealers can't sell the seed if it's not in the original packaging.

 

[Timm250]

Exactly. There have been some international disasters where treated seeds, with warnings in some other language than is spoken locally, was used as food. The poisons are why the dealers can't sell the seed if it's not in the original packaging.

What about sweet corn? It has the same pink coating & in my area is sold by the lb from buckets. No original labels & no type of warnings about the coating.

 

[SPIKER]

Just go buy a bag of DEER CORN, it will grow just as well and is no different other than contains some cracked seed. (just over seed it to make up for non viable seed.)

Otherwise ya might look at local equity or a neighbor farmer for a small donation to his beer fund.

Mark

 

[teejk]

Forget about the feed. Let's talk about raising ducks! I ordered duck in a restaurant a few weeks ago and became a fan (it was better than a great meal). Looking at the local supermarkets, I see frozen ducks price out at $4/lb!!!