Valley Corn Thriving, Farmers Encouraged - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

Corn farmers in the Valley may benefit from a better-than-average crop and higher prices due to weather problems elsewhere.

Corn is tasseling in many fields along the Red River Valley. A good soaking rain this week has buoyed farmers spirits.  Moisture is essential this time of year for proper ear development in corn.  Recent record high temperatures had farmers concerned.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

American farmers had high expectations for corn this year, planting 96.4 million acres of it — a number 5 percent more than the previous year. High prices and an expectation of strong returns made this year's planting the largest corn acreage in 75 years. Those were heady times in farm country, with farmland prices rising on and on, even as the recovery moved sluggishly in other realms. An uncharacteristically warm March in the Midwest sent hopes still higher, allowing farmers to plant corn weeks earlier than usual. For some crops, including some cherries in Michigan and apples in Indiana, unexpected April frosts then caused damage, but the corn, said Randy Anderson, a farmer in Southern Illinois, went right along beautifully.

And then very little rain fell, and temperatures soared. By last week around corn country, scores of triple-digit heat records were being broken: Jefferson County, Mo., 111 degrees; Evansville, Ind., 107 degrees. That left corn, including Mr. Anderson's crop, shriveling.