Evening star., 1947-06-27
Iowa 1947 Corn Crop
MAY Be 65 10 70qo Of
Last Year S Record
BY J. ). kusseli
Farm Editor Of the oes Moines Register
npd Tribune

Form Editor ct the Des MONIES keSisfei
and Tribune
DEs MONIES, June 27 tCDN).-
Iowa will raise a. lot of corn this
year even though it won't be any
bumper crop.
Washing rains and floods and cold
backward weather have knocked
prospects below normal. The 1947
crop probably won't be more than
SIS to 10 per cent of the record 1916
production of SCI 100000 bushels.
This doesn't mean Iowa is headed
for a crop failure, On the contrary
hot days and warm nights the last
few days have caused corn that is
I'D and has its head above water to
grow at a rapid rate.
The present outlook-and no one
can do more than guess now is for
a crop probably double the drought
year of 1884 and near the average
of the late '30s before acreage was
expanded during the war.
Thousands of Acres Flooded.
Until the recent warm spell the
season had been the most backward
of any in the last 90 years. Thou
sands of acres were flooded In
Southern Iowa, not only once but
two or three times.
Then the same thing happened
in Eastern Iowa.
Then in Western Iowa. The food
ing and the washing and the delay
in planting all added up to probably
10 per cent of the intended acreage
either not planted or the crop
destroyed.
Some corn will be knee high by
July 4-the traditional rate OF
progress for an Iowa corn crop
Much of 1t Is tagging behind and
probably will be in for frost damage
next fall.
1t now seems impossible that 8
part of the 1947 crop can escape
being caught, provided the first
killing frost hits the State at about
the average time-the first week
in October.
Easing of Exports Asked.
This probably will mean soft corr
but it will be possible to get some
feed out of corn even though it is
soft.
An abundance Of pasture hay anc
a good oats crop plus good carry
over of old corn from the bumper
corn crop of 1916 will help out.
1t all may mean that the Ameri.
can public will be able to buy les!
meat next year along with othel
foods produced from Iowa's corn
1owans even now are urging thu
Government to go slow on exporting
old corn and say it shouldn't bt
used in making whisky and alcoho
when soft corn would suffice fol
this processing The Agriculture
Department has scheduled severa
million tons Of corn for export IL
July.
Short feed crops with corn at S:
I n lIlduCC AL
to sell themselves short of feed ant
then panicky liquidation of livestocl
| follows.
Pig Crop Short.
/ The spring pig crop in Iowa wa
somewhat shorter than had beer
expected and 1t is generally believed
that it will be possible to feed OIL
the pork now on hand without diff
Guilty.
Iowa is important when it come
/ to considering corn and hogs be
cause this State ann hally produce
about fifth of the Nations tota
of both corn and hogs. This prob
ably will be the case this year again
Motorists who have travelled from
GAINESVILLE. Ohio, to Sioux City an
Council Bluffs, Iowa. report tina
corn is backward in Ohio, Indian
and Illinois.
They report that the best corn bel
is in Northwestern Iowa and scat
tered spots in Illinois.
Missouri, Nebraska and Eastern
Kansas are said to have backward
crop conditions.
(copyright, 1a47. by Chicago Daily New
| Service)