Got Skip Row Corn? Georgia Farmer Goes 60" Wide

“My mentality is to try skip row to let out heat at night, while at the same time getting more sunlight to the bottom of the plants to pick up yield,” says Hitchcock. “Overall, I want to see if skip row lets the corn factory run at a higher rate.”

Can less be more in a cornfield? Can skip row corn add bushels to the bin? James Hitchcock wants the answers from one trusted source—his own fields.

In 2023, Hitchcock is bucking convention with skip row 30” corn versus solid 30” corn.

“Too many farmers get stuck in an old mentality or are just afraid to fail or get criticized. Not me,” Hitchcock explains. “With all the new technology and new hybrids available, I’m trying different things every year. No farmer should ever stop learning and that means you need to always do out-of-the-box things in your own fields.”

Taking the Plunge

In east-central Georgia’s Washington County, just outside Tennile, fourth-generation Hitchcock, 44, grows pivot-irrigated corn, peanuts, and soybeans on roughly 3,000 acres. For the past five years, he has grown non-GMO corn and conventional soybeans on fields typically containing a significantly wide variety of soil types ranging from sandy ground to heavy clay.

60 Corn — In April, Hitchcock planted 25 acres of 60”-row corn, surrounded by the remainder of the field in solid 30”-row corn. Split between two hybrids, the corn was planted at 36,000 seeds per acre in both the skip and solid rows. (Photo courtesy of James Hitchcock)

Persistently curious about the potential of wide row crops, Hitchcock took the plunge in 2023. “I’m part of Randy Dowdy and David Hula’s grower group (Total Acre) and the participating farmers challenge each other all the time on how to grow; what products to use; and how to use them,” Hitchcock says. “Generally, nobody in my area tries skip row corn, so why not me?”

“I’ve been watching intercropping get hotter and hotter and I think I’ll go there too, but I’m not ready to hop in just yet,” he adds. “I want to see how skip row does first.”

Hitchcock chose 280 acres of reliable loam for his skip row trial. (Technically, the overall field is 500 acres, but 220 acres was planted to winter wheat and harvested, followed by soybeans.)

“The ground the skip row trial is on is always planted in covers,” he describes. “We broadcast cover crop seed in the fall and run a Turbo-Till over the top. In spring, we spray and kill the covers, and then strip till into the rows.”

Horizon Corn — “In hot years, skip row corn may have a place out here,” says Hitchcock. “I’m just learning right now, but that’s why I’m doing this: To find out what happens on my own ground.” (Photo courtesy of James Hitchcock)

In April, he planted 25 acres of 60”-row corn, surrounded by the remainder of the field in solid 30”-row corn. Split between two hybrids, the corn was planted at 36,000 seeds per acre in both the skip and solid rows.

“It’s the exact same number of plants per acre in both areas. I adjusted the planter for the skip rows and kept the spacing tighter.”

How is the corn faring? So far, the weather has thrown curveballs.

Judgement by Combine

June 2022 delivered a record number of 100-degree days and was brutal on Hitchcock’s fields. The high canopy heat of last season played a significant role in triggering his skip row trial.

60 Corn Georgia — “I’ve been watching intercropping get hotter and hotter and I think I’ll go there too, but I’m not ready to hop in just yet,” Hitchcock says. “I want to see how skip row does first.” (Photo courtesy of James Hitchcock)

“My mentality is to try skip row to let out heat at night, while at the same time getting more sunlight to the bottom of the plants to pick up yield. Overall, I want to see if skip row lets the corn factory run at a higher rate.”

June 2023, however, is a cooling contrast from the prior year—most days 10 degrees cooler, according to Hitchcock. Irrigation needs, for example, have been far less intense from the usual daily or alternating day pattern.

“Everything temperature-wise is below normal, with plenty of cloudy days,” Hitchcock notes.

As of late June, the corn is tasseling and Hitchcock estimates a stand count of approximately 35,000 plants per acre in the skip rows. “It looks good and weeds don’t seem to have been an issue, but I think the cooler weather so far is not going to give an advantage to skip row corn this time. No matter what, I’ll try this again next year to get a better feel.”

Come August, Hitchcock will let his combine be the judge. “In hot years, skip row corn may have a place out here. I’m just learning right now, but that’s why I’m doing this: To find out what happens on my own ground.”

For more from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com 662-592-1106) see:

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