Evaluation of Organic Corn Varieties

According to the USDA National Organic Program, certified organic farmers must source organic seed (seed from organically raised crops). The organic seed industry is currently growing in Iowa and the Midwest. With this growth, organic growers are looking for university-based recommendations on organic varieties to use in Iowa. The Organic Agriculture Program at Iowa State University has been using organic seed at the Southeast Research Farm for ten years with excellent results. There were four varieties selected for the 2009 organic corn variety trial. These included the following Blue River (Kelley, IA) 109 to 112–day maturity hybrid corn varieties: conventional, untreated BR64A50 was planted as a comparator against the three organic varieties, BR66H54, BR61F39, and BR62B57