Farm families looking at sweet corn as a way of generating more income should study the realities of their situation. There are more farmers who have failed with sweet corn than there are those who have continued to grow it. A yield of 1,000 dozen ears of sweet corn per acre is considered good. Type of growing season, soil depth and fertility, fertilizer usage, variety and plant stand are among the factors influencing actual yields. Price Prices vary considerably from year to year and within a given season.
Local sales vary with quantity and quality of corn available.
For the past few years, prices have usually averaged around 10 cents per ear for top quality corn. Labor requirement A family can usually handle all the labor, including harvesting, for one or two acres of sweet corn. Larger acreages require more sophisticated equipment and additional labor. Acreage to be planted determines type and cost of equipment needed to accomplish a given management level. Management level determines effective application of production units such as seed, fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation.