Local corn, cotton crop withering away because of heat wave (H'ville times)

[eppur_se_muova]

Budd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Running counter to a government report that predicts record corn and cotton harvests, area farmers are seeing their crops wither away because of the oppressive heat wave.

In fact, the state of the local cotton crop has deteriorated so quickly that a local agriculture official called it a "survival crop."

And there isn't much relief in sight.

"We've got to have rain," said Thomas Atkinson, Madison County executive director of the Farm Service Agency. "On the Fourth of July ... I thought everything looked good. But, in a month's time, it went from a great crop to a survival crop."



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more: http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2010/08/local_corn_cotton_crop_witheri.html

[villager]

1. How will red state voters be taught to blame this on "liberals?"

n/t

[Tesha]

8. "If libruhls hadn't invented that damned Global Warming, none of this'd be happenin'!" (NT)

[kestrel91316]

2. The field corn in the pic looks fine to me. It's supposed to shrivel and dry up.

The kernels fill up the whole ear.

That said, extreme heat too early in the season can ruin a crop because it never even pollinates (ask me how I know this), and later can cause poor development. This pic just doesn't show it.

[NutmegYankee]

3. I don't understand, why isn't the corn already harvested?

I'm buying corn from the local farms each weekend this month, and this is New England, which lags in the growing season. The growing season is longer in AL, shouldn't the corn already have been harvested?

[DURHAM D]

4. Are you talking about sweet corn or feed corn?

Also, I assume in that area of the country they may double crop.

[NutmegYankee]

7. Sweet Corn. There's a bunch of local organic farms that sell produce here

I'm on the Eastern side of Connecticut, which is rural and has a decent collection of small farms selling vegetables at excellent prices this time of year. They are cheaper and taste better than what's in the grocery stores, though one ear of corn had a caterpillar infesting it. I guess that's a trade off with organic crops.

[oneshooter]

6. The corn is left on the stalk to dry to 17-20% moisture. n/t

[Tesha]

9. Corn for table consumption is commonly planted in waves so it comes ready...

...throughout the summer and autumn season.

Tesha

[NutmegYankee]

11. Thanks!

[Radical Activist]

5. And the crooks at the Farm Bureau still oppose climate change legislation.

They're destroying the future for the next generation of farmers while they serve as cronies for the chemical and fossil fuel industries.

[yella_dawg]

10. That's pretty good looking corn.

Damned good for a crop failure. Maybe the Times should be more careful selecting stock photos.