[Crops 101] How to Sow & Harvest Corn/Maize

All you need is corn - We show you in this tutorial how to farm some nice corn!

What Is Special About Corn

• Corn is usually used in American English
• Maize is often used in the United Kingdom
• Feed corn to your pigs
• You need some maize to produce cereals at the cereal factory
• Corn can be chopped into chaff
• Place your chaff in a bunker silo to produce silage. Silage is use as a part of TMR, the optimal feed for cows and water buffaloes
• Plant your maize from April until May
• If you are interested in chaff, harvest your corn from August until September
• Maize is ready for harvest from the start of October until the end of November

What You Need For Corn

Already have the necessary equipment? Just move along and keep scrolling. Otherwise, you are at the right place! 

• You need a tractor with a front loader attachment to handle the necessary machinery and tools.
• You need a pallet fork to transport resources like fertilizer and seeds.
• You need a plow to prepare your field for planting, and after you have grown maize.
• You need a planter and seeds.
• You need a fertilizer spreader, fertilizer, and lime. Apply fertilizer and lime to improve your yield. For beginners, artificial fertilizers are the best choice. Keep in mind: not all spreaders can spread lime! 
• You need a weeder to keep the yield quite high. 
• You need a combine harvester with a corn header to harvest maize.
• You need a forage harvester with a forage header to produce chaff.
• You need a trailer to transport and sell maize.
• You need another trailer to transport your corn or forage header.

Let’s Get To Work!

If you want to plant some corn, start from April until May. The Plant is ready for harvest from October until November. 

How To Operate The Machinery

Operating the machinery on the different working steps is quite similar. So let us show you first how to handle your machinery:

1. Align your tractor with the designated tool. Drive slowly to the coupling and press the designated button to connect.
2. If necessary, fill your machine with the required resource (seeds, fertilizer). Just place the implement next to the resource and press the button for refilling.
3. Drive to your field and use the machine. Unfold the machine, lower it (if necessary) and you are good to go!

Step By Step: How To Plant Corn

Just follow this simple 7, and you will successfully harvest your maize in no time:

1. Applying lime: Use your fertilizer spreader and cover your field in lime.
2. Plow your field: Switch to your plow and work your field.
3. Plant your corn: Fill your planter and start planting.
4. Fertilizing: Fertilizing will improve the yield of your harvest. If you want to get a fertilization rate of 100 %, you need to apply fertilizer on your field after another stage of growth of your plants.
5. Weeding: Soon, weed will grow between your crops. Take care of those plants as soon as you can. The longer they grow, the harder they are to terminate. In the first stage, you can still use the weeder to remove weeds. After that, you need a hoe or field sprayer.
6. Harvesting corn: What do you want to have? If you want plain maize, use the combine harvester. If chaff is what you are looking for, use the forage harvester. As streets are often narrow and crowded, we recommend transporting the header on a trailer. 
7. Selling and using corn: Depending on your style of harvesting, you either have maize or chaff. If you have corn, why don’t you sell it at a selling point, feed your pigs, or use it with other ingredients to produce some delicious cereal. Chaff can be fermented into silage. Your harvest, your choice!

That’s It!

Take care of your machinery and don't forget to clean them sometimes. Head back to the Academy for more tutorials. Keep on farming!