Greene County farmers and crop insurance adjustors are still determining the extent of damage done to the corn crop during the severe weather Sunday night.
Damage was spotty, with some farm fields untouched and others seeing significant damage to the corn. The damage occurred primarily south of Jefferson and west of Highway 4, although there was some damage elsewhere. No dollar value is yet available for the lost crops.
Insurance agent Rose Stoline explained that as corn begins to dry at the end of the growing season, it dries from the ground up. Depending on the hybrid planted and other conditions, the corn is at various stages in the drying process. Corn that was further along, being drier at the bottom of the stalk, was more prone to snap at the ground. That corn cannot be harvested efficiently.
Corn that was not as dry and was blown so that it was leaning, not snapped, sometimes rights itself enough for harvest. The corn must be upright enough for the teeth on the combine to get under it for harvest.
