Behind the Headlines

Remember that old saying about corn plants - knee high by the Fourth of July?

Driving my usual routes through the county, I’ve noticed that unless knees have suddenly gotten a lot further from the ground, the corn stalks are enormous for this early in the season.

Of course, this is all from an non-farmer eye. So I ask coworker/Ag reporter Dean C. what his take is. He said the knee high thing is not really a good measure anymore, but that some of the corn was looking a little tall. The other night while driving through the county, he said he and his family were trying to spot the fireworks off in the distance. When they drove by the tall corn, the view was blocked.

Of course, he said, this was likely the early corn, it didn’t appear to be pollinated yet and in outlying areas of the county such as Ida and the like, it was closer to knee high than towering.

What’s the deal? Does it seem like a banner year for tall corn to you or what? Will Monroe County suddenly become the setting for a sci-fi worthy experience where the corn grows into menacing stalks that come alive and enslave us?