Poor rain lowers state corn crop

One year after Indiana's corn yield broke records, untimely rains have hurt much of the state's corn crop and left most farmers expecting considerably lower yields.\nRecent crop reports from the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service list only 26 percent of the state's corn crop in good to excellent condition -- down almost 50 percent from this time last year.\nCorn farmers suffering the biggest losses are those in southern and eastern Indiana, along the state's borders with Kentucky and Ohio.\n"We had too much rain early, and not enough late. And the heat itself compounded the matters dramatically," said Nathan Burbrink, who farms about 2,400 acres in Jennings County in southeastern Indiana. "I have talked to a few people who have harvested some grain, and it's not even half a crop."\nCorn production last year averaged 156 bushels per acre, breaking the previous record of 147 bushels set in 1992 and matched again in 2000. The five-year average corn yield in the state is 139 bushels per acre.\nBoth 2000 and 2001 were great years for corn production, according to Greg Matli, a statistician with Indiana Agricultural Statistics in West Lafayette. But as of Sept. 1, the average yield forecast for this year was 119 bushels per acre.\n"The bean crop had some rains in late August, but it was too late for the corn," Matli said. "Those scattered showers that go through the state, depending on where they hit, can make a difference in the crops."\nThere is one possible benefit for farmers to consider when yields lag, Matli said. Reduced yields have historically helped raise prices, which benefits farmers who have grain from a previous season to sell.