Do you grow corn like Ole or Sven? It’s a question Peterson Farms Seed has been asking for a number of years. At the seed company’s annual field day, PFS usually has an Ole and Sven plot comparing how the mythical Scandinavian bachelors, who are the butt of jokes throughout the Dakotas and Minnesota, might grow corn.

Plant population
Ole is pretty careful about setting and checking the planting rate. He goes through his planter in the winter, and each spring takes it to a test stand to be calibrated.

Sven is kind of sloppy. Close enough is good enough.

PLANTING KEY: Attention to detail when planting corn pays big dividends.

Upshot: Hitting the right plant population can make a 10- to 18-bushel-per-acre difference, according to the research PFS has done over the 12 years. Carl Peterson, president of Peterson Farms Seed, has settled on 34,000 plants per acre for their high clay soil in the Red River Valley near Fargo.

Planting depth
Ole is careful about the planting depth. He tests the depth when he starts a new field and checks frequently to make sure the seed is precisely placed. As soil conditions change, he stops the planter, gets off and digs around in the rows to double-check seed depth.

Sven sets the planter once and goes — all season long. Sometimes he figures that last year’s setting is close enough. After all, iron doesn’t move, right?

FARMING FRIENDS: If Ole and Sven were farmers, how would their yields differ? That’s the premise behind a 12-year demonstration that Peterson Farms Seed has been running. (Illustration: Creative_Outlet/iStock/Thinkstock)

Upshot: In its trials, PFS has found planting 1½ to 2 inches deep is perfect for its soils and production practices. Planting deeper results in uneven emergence, which has resulted in a 7-bushel-per-acre average yield reduction. Planting too shallow can cause uneven emergence, too, and greatly increases the risk of lodging. Yield losses have been as high as 44 bushels per acre, says Adam Spelhaug, PFS agronomist.

Planting speed
Ole plants slowly, at 4-5 miles per hour, even when there’s a thunderstorm building in the distance.

Sven is in hurry to get done. He’ll run 7-10 mph.

Upshot: PFS has seen a 10-bushel-per-acre yield advantage for slower planting speeds. Mike Shutt, Peterson Farms Seed sales agronomist, says seed depth is more uniform and seed singulation is better at a slower speed with nearly all planters. The result is fewer skips and doubles down the row. But there’s some good news for Sven in this category. Adding Precision Planting’s speed tubes and hydraulic down pressure to the planter can compensate for the higher speeds. Sven might be able get his planting done faster and beat Ole to town to see Lena.

Fertility
Ole is always fussy with fertilizer. He’s always doing tests to see if he’s putting on too much or too little fertilizer, and whether he’s putting the fertilizer on when the corn plant will soak it up right away.

COMPARING PRACTICES: Mike Shutt, Peterson Farms Seed sales agronomist, compares yields from corn grown Ole’s way and Sven’s way.

Sven doesn’t fiddle with fertilizer rates. He’s been applying the same amount year after year.

Upshot: PFS has found that it pays to compare fertilizer rates and methods. On the farm near Prosper, N.D., 5 gallons of 10-34-0 starter fertilizer consistently improves yields by 3 bushels per acre. Creating “hot streaks” — strips containing way more nitrogen than the crop could ever use — in fields helped PFS discover that the corn plants that were stunted where water had pooled after heavy rains in June weren’t being damaged by the water. They were short of N later in the season because of denitrification. As a result of its research and studies done by North Dakota State University, PFS has completely flipped its corn fertilizer practices. Instead of putting on all the N that corn needs in the fall or in the spring before planting, they now put on about two-thirds of what is typically needed to reach yield goals. Then they use an in-season N monitor and tissue testing to track nutrient levels in the soil and the plants. They top-dress any additional N that is needed to reach the maximum economic yield. This has led to better N-use efficiency. With the N savings and increases in plant uptake of N, PFS has seen a six-figure increase in the return for corn on the farm, Spelhaug says.

You can learn more about the Ole and Sven comparisons by contacting Shutt at 701-282-7476, or visit petersonfarmsseed.com.

My top 2 Ole and Sven jokes
Since we are talking about Ole and Sven, I can’t miss the opportunity to pass on two Ole and Sven jokes about my favorite subjects.

Sick chickens
“Sven decided to try raising something different on the farm for a change and chose chickens. He went over to Ole’s and bought 300 baby chicks. Three days later he went back to Ole’s farm and asked for another 300 chicks. "What happened to the first set?" Ole asked. "They died" was Sven’s terse reply. Well, small epidemics do have a way of happening, so Ole sold Sven another 300 chicks. Three days later Ole was back, needing to buy still another 300 chicks. “What happened?” Ole asked. "I think I'm either planting them too far apart or too deep," Sven replied.

Will it happen this year?
Ole and Sven die and wake up in hell. The next day the devil stops in to check on them and sees them dressed in parkas, mittens and bomber hats, warming themselves around a fire. The devil asks them, "What are you doing? Isn't it hot enough for you?”

Ole and Sven reply, "Vell ya know, ve're from Nordern Minnesoda, the land of ice and snow and cold. Ve're yust happy for da chance ta varm up a bit, don 't ya know."

The devil decides that these two aren't miserable enough and turns up the heat. The next morning he stops by again and there they are, still dressed in parkas, hats and mittens. The devil asks them again, "It's awfully hot down here, can't you two feel that?"

Again Ole and Sven reply, "Vell, like ve told you yesterday, ve're from Nordern Minnesoda, the land of ice and snow and cold. Ve're yust happy for da chance ta warm up a bit ya know."

This gets the devil a bit steamed, and he decides to show these two just who is in charge. He cranks up the heat as high as it can go. The rest of the people are screaming and miserable. He stops by to see if his two Minnesota tenants are the same, and is astonished to find them in light jackets and baseball caps, grilling walleye and drinking beer. The devil says, "Everyone down here is in absolute misery, and you two seem to be enjoying yourselves! Why?"

Ole and Sven reply, "Vell, ya know ve don't get too many varm days up dere in International Falls, ve just got to have a fish fry vhen da vedder is dis nice."

This absolutely incenses the devil; he can barely see straight. He finally comes up with a plan to set these two straight. These two guys love the heat because they have been cold all their lives, so he decides to turn off all the heat. The next morning, the temperature in hell is below zero, icicles are hanging off the ceilings, people are shivering so much that they don't even have the strength to complain. The devil smiles and heads over to check on Ole and Sven. He arrives and finds the two back in their parkas, hats, and mittens. They are jumping up and down, cheering, and giving each other high-fives. The devil is now quite dumbfounded. "I just don't understand. I turn up the heat and you're happy. Now I turn off the heat, it's freezing and you're still happy. Why?"

Ole and Sven stop their celebration, look at the devil in surprise and say, "Vell, don't ya know, hell froze over ... dat must mean da Vikings von da Super Bowl!" — Lon Tonneson