Short corn offering high hopes for the future of farming in Midwest

Sep 23

Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Jack Henry (Video Editor)

“Knee high by the 4th of July” may not be the measure for a successful corn crop in the future. That’s because there are high hopes for short corn in the Midwest, and soon, towering corn stocks as far as the eye can see may be a relic of farms past. Short corn, created by Bayer Crop Science, is undergoing a pilot program on about 30,000 acres of in the Midwest, according to a report by The Associated Press on Monday, Sept. 23.

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“As you drive across the Midwest in the next seven, eight, 10 years, you’re going to see a lot of this out there,” Cameron Sorgenfrey, an Iowa farmer, said when referring to the short corn crop.

Scientists said that the crop shows promise in withstanding powerful windstorms like a derecho that hit the area in 2020.

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“It changed a lot of people’s lives,” Sorgenfrey said, referring to the derecho. “The next morning, when you woke up, or that afternoon, when you saw it and drove around, it was a real mess. A lot of stuff destroyed, and most of the corn was pretty flat.”

Sorgenfrey said a similar event this year in Nebraska did not impact the short corn crop nearly as much as the derecho did tall corn in 2020.

A Bayer spokesperson said the company has been working on the crop for more than two decades. While the ultimate goal is reportedly to create a climate change-resistant corn, researchers also said that it will make it easier for farmers to get into the fields with equipment to seed or spray fungicide.

However, some experts warned that short corn is also more susceptible to disease and mold because it is lower to the ground. It is also reportedly more prone to lodging, which is when corn grows along the ground due to heavy rain. Still, Bayer argued the positive outweighs the negative and expects to expand production in 2027 with the hopes of farmers growing it everywhere.

“I feel like in the last two years, it’s been a much better-looking corn out of the gate,” Sorgenfrey said. “It much more denser with extra population that it helps on that end and not only that, it grows the same until the row is closed. So, it helps with weed control, too, because you have more plants out there and less sunlight hitting the ground.”

The new crop could be a fundamental change to the industry that saw around 400 million tons of corn grown. Most of the crop was used for ethanol, animal feed or exported to other countries.

Tags: Agriculture, Climate Change, farm, Farming, U.S. Department of Agriculture

[KARAH RUCKER]

KNEE HIGH BY THE FOURTH OF JULY MAY NOT BE THE MEASURE FOR A SUCCESSFUL CORN CROP IN THE FUTURE.

THAT’S BECAUSE THERE ARE HIGH HOPES FOR SHORT CORN IN THE MIDWEST AND SOON TOWERING CORN STOCKS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE MAY BE A RELIC OF FARMS PAST.

[CAMERON SORGENFREY]

“AS YOU DRIVE ACROSS THE MIDWEST IN THE NEXT SEVEN EIGHT, 10 YEARS, YOU’RE GOING TO A LOT OF THIS OUT THERE.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

THE SHORT CORN CREATED BY BAYER CROP SCIENCE IS UNDERGOING A PILOT PROGRAM ON ABOUT 30-THOUSAND ACRES IN THE MIDWEST.

SCIENTISTS NOTE THE CROP SHOWS PROMISE IN WITHSTANDING POWERFUL WINDSTORMS LIKE A DERECHO THAT HIT THE REGION IN 2020.

[CAMERON SORGENFREY]

IT CHANGED A LOT OF PEOPLE’S LIVES. THE NEXT MORNING, WHEN YOU WOKE UP OR THAT AFTERNOON WHEN YOU SAW IT AND DROVE AROUND, IT WAS A REAL MESS. A LOT OF STUFF DESTROYED. AND MOST OF THE CORN CROP WAS PRETTY FLAT. NEBRASKA HAD AN EVENT LAST YEAR WHERE THEIR SHORT CORN WAS PRETTY MUCH 90 TO 100% STAND THE TALL CORNS BESIDE IT WERE 30 TO 40.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

A BAYER SPOKESPERSON SAID THE COMPANY HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE CROP FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES.

WHILE THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO CREATE CLIMATE-CHANGE-RESISTANT CORN– RESEARCHERS ALSO SAY IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR FARMERS TO GET INTO THE FIELDS WITH EQUIPMENT TO SEED OR SPRAY FUNGICIDE.

BUT EXPERTS WARN SHORT CORN IS ALSO MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE AND MOLD BECAUSE IT’S LOWER TO THE GROUND. IT’S ALSO MORE PRONE TO LODGING, WHICH IS WHEN CORN GROWS ALONG THE GROUND BECAUSE OF HEAVY RAIN.

STILL, BAYER ARGUES THE POSITIVE OUTWEIGHS THE NEGATIVE AND EXPECTS TO EXPAND PRODUCTION IN 2027 WITH THE HOPES OF FARMERS GROWING IT EVERYWHERE.

[CAMERON SORGENFREY]

I FEEL LIKE THE LAST TWO YEARS, IT’S BEEN A MUCH BETTER-LOOKING CORN OUT OF THE GATE. IT’S SO MUCH DENSER WITH EXTRA POPULATION THAT IT HELPS ON THAT END AND NOT ONLY THAT, IT GROWS THE SAME TIL ROW CLOSED. SO, IT HELPS WITH WEED CONTROL TOO, BECAUSE YOU HAVE MORE PLANTS OUT THERE AND LESS SUNLIGHT HITTING THE GROUND.

[KARAH RUCKER]

IT COULD BE A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE TO THE INDUSTRY THAT SAW AROUND 400 MILLION TONS OF CORN GROWN, MOST OF WHICH WAS USED FOR ETHANOL, ANIMAL FEED OR EXPORTED TO OTHER COUNTRIES.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS— I’M KARAH RUCKER.