driving back home across the Midwest last weekend.
I kept looking at the many corn fields along the highways because I’d never seen corn only 2-3 feet tall this late in the year. Then I thought hmm… was that all? Was there was something else different? Curiosity got the better of so and I stopped, walked into a field and took a closer look. Close up, even this city boy noticed there was something just a little bit different about all the corn I’d seen.
There were no cobs on the stalks!
Oh, that’s just great. Can you say inflation?
Not to mention, if you cherish a medium rare ribeye steak on the barbie like I do, I bet you can, or you soon will.
Chicken is unknown, as the bird flu was a temporary blip–but will the prices come down as fast as they went up? Ditto for turkey. Jennie-O discontinued a variety of turkey-based items over the spring/summer due to the shortage of turkeys (over 5-million turkeys killed due to bird flu in MN alone this year).
I honestly don’t remember what the spring was like, but I do remember it being a pretty mild winter. Perhaps something quickly grown and harvested was put in, with the corn you saw being a late planting with the assumption that mild weather would continue later into the fall?
Noticed the corn in my travels around southern Michigan and northern Indiana last weekend. Looks huge.
As to the chicken shortage, yup. Arby’s dropped a chicken club wrap I really liked, and now offers a turkey wrap in it’s place. Tim Horton’s still shows their chicken panini, but they haven’t had the chicken in weeks. Even before the current out of stock, chicken supply was intermittent.
If you track down Haywool, he is a corn & soybean farmer in central Illinois. He can give you the full scoop.
Wet Spring is a common problem that can delay planting. These days high yield corn can be 10 ft tall. They say there are short season varieties that can be planted later but for lower yield. But most would plant soybeans or other short season crops when planting is delayed.
Knee high by the Fourth of July is the norm. And corn usually gets planted as soon as they can get in the fields. But before Memorial Day.
And even with late season corn can still be fodder for livestock. Usually in those Harveststor silos.
I am indeed a city boy, but I’ve hunted through hundreds of corn fields and yes, I do know the difference. This was in Nebraska, where corn is one of our major economic drivers and a major source of corn for the U.S.
Now, could the corn appear (“fill in”) later? Maybe. I don’t know, I suppose it’s possible, but I’ve never seen this happen. Two things I’m sure of: 1) The 2 farmers I met with are forecasting their corn yield this year to be zero, and planning to use their crop as sileage, whatever that is. 2) There were no cobs on the stalks in most (all?) the fields we drove through last weekend.
Maybe this is not so uncommon? I thought it was strange to say the least.
Now, could the corn appear (“fill in”) later? Maybe. I don’t know, I suppose it’s possible, but I’ve never seen this happen.
I grew up in Iowa, and the farmers call that “volunteer corn”. When they harvest a corn field, a few of the kernels will fall on the ground. Then, if the farmer plants something else in that field the next year (soybeans, oats, alfalfa, etc), those kernels will germinate start growing. But it is usually just a few corn stalks here and there, not a whole field full of it.
From the USDA, the corn harvest for Nebraska does appear to be worse than usual this year.
14.4 billion bushels forecast, as of Aug 12. There will be a new estimate around September 12, to provide some more accurate numbers. But right now, the corn crop doesn’t look horrible for the US overall.
2) There were no cobs on the stalks in most (all?) the fields we drove through last weekend.