Did Minnesota's sweet corn crop survive the record rains?
ELK RIVER, Minn. — Country star Luke Bryan once famously declared "Rain makes corn," en route to saying, "Rain is a Good Thing."
In theory, Bryan's statements are very true. As rain became scarce the past few years for Minnesota's sweet corn farmers, it put the crop in jeopardy more than once.
This year, however, the rain came – and came in massive quantities.
"That's mother nature," said Elk River-based farmer Dave Nathe. "You have to take what it's going to give you and work through it."
Nathe, who has operated Riverside Farms for 44 years, says this year's rain came as his crews looked to plant. Dry days quickly became designated for working around the clock.
"We had so much rain, you had to put two weeks into the one or two days you had to work the ground," he said. "You have a window, you have to make your windows."
Nathe says some areas of his land were drowned out – but overall, he's pleased with his crop this year.
"We struggled with water, we had nearly 18 inches (of rain) in May," he said. "But we were able to get it going."
Professor Bill Hutchison at University of Minnesota says farmers have had to become more resilient, as climate change continues to present them with weather extremes.
"We no longer have a normal year anymore," he said. "On the one hand, it's great that we've rebuilt our soil moisture going forward, and for this summer . . . The challenge was really just getting the corn planted."
