Canamaize Experience

I’m looking for firsthand experience with this product. How does it compare with a more traditional 75 day corn? I’m looking for grain, not silage production so tall heavy stalks are meaningless (even detrimental to preparing the following year’s seed bed). I’m told it is short/thin enough to facilitate overseeding with rye or brassicas once it dries down. Traditionally, I’ve planted whatever the local Agway had on hand which has traditionally been something for the local dairy operations. I’d have to broadcast then disc in and cultipack. Any thoughts?

I don't have any experience with it, but I see lots of positives with it. I would have a few concerns....how well does it stand up to wind? Summer thunder storms and the like here can play hell with a corn field as it is here. How tall does it get? My biggest fear is that it's too short and the deer don't feel safe. Corn is a great food source, but I also think the cover aspect of it really helps from a hunting perspective. I also like how deer can't see into it so they have to investigate it closer.

I use the same corn my farmer uses....because I can get it for free with a little work. I use a tiller and a 2 row planter.

If it will stand and the deer feel safe, I think you may be on to something! If you go this route please let us know how it works out.

I found this interesting.....
https://scwa.homestead.com/ShortCorn.html

Sorry Elk, when I first saw the title I thot it said Cannabis Experience and its definitely well grown is some areas of my county. I'll withhold my suggestions and let you get back to your Canamaize.

One would also want to really investigate how wise planting it would be to plant small n short corn if there are ANY raccoons in your area ....in my part of the world big n tall is the only way there is any left for the deer by fall
Bear

We’ve got coons. Today they just push or climb the stalk until it falls over. I’d guess this hits 2-3% of our stalks. Guess the question is whether lower access would bring in more coons. Don’t know the answer. Is there anyplace corn grows that doesn’t have coons? Probably not.

After some digging and having an e-mail exchange with one of their reps - my only real concern is that you plant a heavier density and get roughly 1/2 the grain yield. So if you are trying to provide the deer with an actual over-winter food source you may need to keep that in mind. So if your used to planting an acre and getting say 100 bushel/acre of actual grain.....that same acre is going to produce 60% now. He also told me the seed count per bag is higher (I want to say 150,000 count) but you plant roughly a 50,000 count density per acre - primarily by planting narrower rows (roughly 18"). That may limit the ability to overseed as well as once thought as well. He says the seed is similar to pop-corn....smaller than normal dent corn. He also said that he recommended planting in the spring like normal corn but it matures sooner and therefore the deer may hit it sooner so that may also contribute to it not lasting as long in the year as well.

I am interested in it, but I am not sure I like the potential trade-offs.......especially if your trying to feed deer thru the winter stress period on limited plot acres.

I kind of half heartedly looked at it a few years ago but couldn't really find enough on it to feel comfortable trying it for my plots. Regular corn has certainly worked for us for several years. It makes great hunting plots for us and feeds our deer through the winter stress period. I decided if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

I planted CannaMaize corn on several of my client properties last year with great results. I had previously planted a RR field corn, which grew great, but the deer wouldn't touch it until late winter/early spring. On one property in WI I used cannamaize to break up a 15 acre long, winding food plot. I planted it along both sides of a farm road that ran down the center of the entire length of the plot, and also planted it between where the different crops I planted adjoined. It grew in great, with most stalks reaching about 5' tall, with a few here and there that grew taller, but mostly 4.5'-5' tall. I only sprayed it once after emergence and broadcast additional N at about 4-5 weeks post-planting. The deer browsed on the corn all fall along with the soybeans next to it, which didn't happen with the previous RR corn I planted in the same food plot. The shorter stature corn made it easier to see all areas of the plot from the hunter's point of view, but still accomplished all of my goals: additional grain for food above snow, breaking up a large plot and making it feel a little more safe to the bucks, preventing a buck from being able to see all areas of the plots from a single location without exploring ( moving through the plot), and creating hundreds of yards of edge in the plot. All in all, I really liked the CannaMaize and will be using it every year going forward. I planted with a GP no till drill. I'd like to experiment this year mixing Cannamaize and Soybeans (similar seed size) in my planter....experiment. I'm not an expert on corn by any means, but have read in a couple different places that CannaMaize is a softer kernel corn, and I think that is part of the reason the deer preferred it over the previous RR corn I planted. Here is one article I found on Cannamaize: https://www.grandparayoutdoors.com/single-post/2016/12/23/Food-Plot-Corn-1

That is my experience, I hope it helps someone out in some way! Happy planting this year!

--Chad
Black River Food Plots
Foxboro, WI