Shimmering Corn Fields

My blogging goal today is to try to convey to you how cornfields look right now; especially, their bright, shimmery appearance beneath morning sunshine. Only in morning sunlight does corn look like this.

I love such scenes and am almost sad each summer when tassels start forming on top of the cornstalks, dramatically changing the appearance of the fields. In a few short weeks, that transformation will take place, and possibly sooner, thanks to the hot, steamy conditions we’ve been having. Corn grows like crazy in weather like that. They say you can hear the corn growing on hot summer nights……if only I could stay awake long enough to verify such a claim.

Uh……these fellows were glowering at me as I took the above photos. I mustered up the courage to ask them about nocturnal sounds emanating from cornfields. The guy on the left mentioned “rustling” and then right away the dude on the right went off on a tirade about cattle-rustling. They definitely had their wires crossed and an argument between them quickly ensued, with barbs flung from both sides. I carefully backed away and sincerely regretted my decision to attempt pursuing a conversation with these large male bovines.

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“Sure as you’re born

Let’s talk about corn”

My husband sings those two lines sometimes, but I don’t know if they come from an actual song or not. Lately, there have been articles in the newspaper debating whether farmers are to blame for the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Much of the argument revolves around CORN. Corn prompts more fat in meat, so it is said. High-fructose corn syrup in soda pop, fruit juices---and a myriad of other foods sweetened during processing---somehow causes more fat to form in our bodies, so they say.

Farmers argue back---and, rightly so---that each person is responsible for what they put into their mouth. The main problems are, of course, that most of us shove TOO MUCH food into our mouths these days and we live very sedentary lifestyles. So much food is available to us and restaurants serve over-sized portions of everything and we giddily gobble them right up. Loosening our belts, we groan and trudge to our cars to sit for the ride home where we then sit in front of computers and TV. Do squadrons of farmers stand guard at restaurants, forcing people to eat huge amounts of food, and then demand that sitting be our main activity every day? Of course not. Thus its difficult to follow the argument that farmers are to blame for the nation’s obesity problem. But, we always have to find someone to blame other than ourselves…….and, yes, I am as guilty of that as anyone.

There are other corn debates going on, too, of course……one involving corn-based ethanol and whether or not it is an environmentally-friendly source of fuel. I don’t know enough about that. All of the corn we grow on this farm ends up being fed to our own livestock……as silage and grain. We make bedding out of the remaining cornstalks. Each year, when our home-grown supply of corn runs out, we must buy corn for a few months. We were not happy at all when corn prices soared from $2-3/bushel to $6/bushel last year. Especially, when the price we were receiving for our milk was taking a downward plunge. Not a good combination. That scenario makes dairy people very grumpy.

Hopefully, I haven’t offended any readers. We are all entitled to our opinions, of course. We can agree to disagree and still be friends……I hope.

Have a great day!

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