Taking a late-summer country drive in the Midwest means venturing into the corn zone, snaking between 12-foot-tall green, leafy walls that seem to block out nearly everything other than the sun and an occasional water tower. The skyscraper-like corn is a part of rural America as much as cavernous red barns and placid cows. But soon, that towering corn might become a miniature of its former self, replaced by stalks only half as tall as the green giants that have dominated fields for so long.
- The short corn developed by Bayer Crop Science is being tested on about 30,000 acres in the Midwest with the promise of offering farmers a variety that can withstand powerful windstorms that could become more frequent due to climate change, the AP reports.
- The corn's smaller stature and sturdier base enable it to withstand winds of up to 50 mph. The smaller plants also let farmers plant at greater density, so they can grow more corn on the same amount of land, increasing their profits. That is especially helpful as farmers have endured several years of low prices that are forecast to continue. The smaller stalks could also lead to less water use at a time of growing drought concerns.