Interesting...despite the hysteria about the corn crop, this:
Almost a third of the nation's corn crop has been damaged by heat and drought, and a number of farmers in the hardest hit areas of the Midwest have cut down their crops just midway through the growing season. But the nation could still see one of the largest harvests in U.S. history, thanks to new plant varieties developed to produce more corn per acre and better resist drought.
Kellerman said he was surprised his corn fared as well as it did, growing to a decent height even though there had been less than an inch of rain since mid-April. The dirt in the area where he farms near Du Bois, Ill., has the consistency of dust, but it wasn't until the extreme heat "fried" the plants, that he lost hope.
"Genetics are much better," he said. "Corn five years ago would never have lasted this long."
<snip>
Corn farmers expected this to be a record year when they planted, sowing 96.4 million acres, the most since 1937. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted they would get 166 bushels per acre.
But after months with little or no rain and extreme heat in large portions of the Corn Belt, the USDA on Wednesday revised that estimate, saying it now expects farmers to average just 146 bushels per acre this year.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Crop-technology-helps-limit-corn-losses-in-drought-3698887.php#ixzz214lDs4D5
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We've been fortunate to have rain here in Connecticut. There corn everywhere. I'd guess the Connecticut corn farmers are very happy, as prices will probably be going through the roof soon.
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