Farmers say the corn crop is ‘looking promising’

PORTAGE COUNTY, Wis. (WSAW) - After a summer that started with drought-like conditions, the 2021 corn crop was looking bleak. But a month of rain has turned the crop into what farmers said could be one of the best yields in recent years.

Amherst area farmer, Bob Biadasz, said he had concerns in May. Those concerns have subsided in the last few weeks.

“I thought, man, it’s going to be a long irrigation season, and we’ve been pretty blessed now for the last 3 weeks,” said Biadasz.

In late May, Portage County’s extension agriculture agent, Ken Schroeder said, “the faucet got turned on.”

“It’s been kind of a strange spring altogether,” Schroeder said.

In Stevens Point, Blue Top Farms grow both field corn and sweet corn. Irrigation was necessary for May, but not as much water was used because the corn was still small. Still, a season of little rain was hanging over Peter Zakrzewski’s head.

“There was a concern…how much am I going to have to run my irrigators to make things work,” he said.

Now he says his crop is “doing great.” The last three weeks have brought three inches of rain to most of the area. While sweet corn season is nearing the home stretch, for Biadasz and Blue Top Farms field corn, harvest is still a few months out.

“If we get a little rain in the next couple of weeks, we have the makings of a really good corn crop,” Biadasz said.

“It is going to a dry harvest like last year was, or are we going to be dodging raindrops all the time? I’ll let you know in November,” Zakrzewski said.

Blue Top Farms sweet corn should be available in about three weeks, Zakrzewski added.

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