The heat wave that lit up a vast swathe of the mid-west could not have come at a worse time for this year's corn. Or delivered more of a shock to farmers. All signs had been pointing to a bumper crop this year.
A mild winter, a balmy spring - most farmers elected to plant some of their fields a few weeks earlier than usual. Mike Buis, who farms in west-central Indiana, put some of his corn in on 9 April. Some farmers didn't even hold on that long, planting as early as March.
By 1 June, the early corn was shoulder high. But corn, it turns out, is a sensitive creatures. June's combination of extreme heat and long dry spell proved a deadly combination.
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