I got the Floriani Red corn planted this weekend and I'm real anxious to see what it does. One of the local colleges has offered to test it for free to see what kind of proteins I'm actually getting, providing it makes it to the crib.I've also already had people asking to be put on a list for seed. If I can sustain this level of enthusiasm, I may have found my crop to replace tobacco!

This is what keeps the little farmer going. Find a nich market and milk it for all it's worth.

What Dale said! AND, don't forget the add-ons, like if somebody buys corn for cows, sell them some pigs too, so they can clean up the unused portion that comes out of the cow. Everybody wins! ;-)

Interesting Jerry.

How long does it take to grow this variety?

This is supposed to be a 100 day corn. But this is my first year growing it. I mainly got interested due to the protein content. The local college has told me they would be interested in testing the feed value for me for free, as they are curious about the high protein as well. This year's crop will mainly be a seed crop, as I only planted a half acre. The seed was 20.00 per pound, and the only guy I found who would sell a bushel wasn't interested in a bulk break on price, so I bought enough for a start and figured I'd go from there. It was certified organic and I am raising that way as well, so may look into selling some seed someday. Of course I plan to have some ground and find out what kind of cornbread it makes too. I try to go by the signs somewhat,but sometimes when ground is plowed and ready, it's a good sign that something needs to be planted. I thought I planted in the worst sign but a neighbor says I planted in the best sign so time will tell. I planted in the best soil I had and I had previously spread two ton of chicken manure on this half acre. The day after I planted, it came a good rain and has rained a little every day since. With any luck there will be enough for meal for me and some neighbors, enough seed for five acres or so next year, and a little corn and fodder for the mules.

At $20 a pound you ought to sell seed. Wow.
Hope it works.

It's up if I can just keep the crows out of it! Yeah, I am thinking I need to sell seed corn too, if I can find anyone who wants it as bad as I did! LOL

Put me on your list of seed buyers please, Jerry, for whenever you might have some to part with.

$20/Lb isn't horrible, since you theoretically only have to buy it once. If it makes good ears, one lb of seed should give you what? 100 lbs or so for the next year?

Corn is amazingly prolific.

I've heard differing stories on the productiveness of this variety. I ended up going with the company that seemed to have the best documentation. The seed will be certified organic and I plan to have it tested at our local college for feed value. If I get anywhere near the yield I am supposed to get from the spot I planted in corn, I expect a yield of about 450 pound per pound of seed planted. Now, that being said, one guy has told me that his Floriani Red, was pretty inconsistent in size of ear and size and height of stalk. I went with Fedco seed and they claimed to have a more consistent variety. My thoughts are, as long as I can maintain a pure strain, in time, I should be able to select for the type that suits my place. My farm is pretty isolated by several ridges and there really isn't anyone else raising corn within a couple of miles of me. The current corn field is in a creek bottom near my house which is surrounded by ridges over a thousand feet high,so I believe cross pollination isn't likely. As they say, there is many a slip 'tween the cup and the lip, meaning anything could happen, but I'm really hoping for a good stand.

I hope you do get a great stand, Jerry.

Yeah, seed selection is where the fun is. Some of it, anyway, for me. You save seed from the best ears AND best stalks, which is why I like to harvest in bundles, then go through the bundles to sort ears. Then I save only the best and most uniform kernels from the best ears, which is mostly just turning the kernels off the ends to get to the middle kernels for saving. Gives a body something to do on long Winter nights. :-)