A corn crop keeps records, says Collin County, Texas, farmer Butch Aycock, “and when you make a mistake it puts down a little black mark. You have to keep enough nitrogen on. You have to get enough water. If you don’t, the crop jots down a black mark and will show you later everything you did wrong.
“Corn is an unforgiving crop.”
In late June, Aycock was hoping he’d need little forgiveness for a crop that, for the most part, got off to a good start, thanks to decent spring and early summer rainfall in Northeast Texas.
“Corn varies a lot, though,” he said. “From Melissa north, the crop is in good shape. East of highway 75 is good, but west of 75 it’s very light, and south of Melissa some will make about half of what the better corn will make.”
