# Sweet Corn



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

And the reason it is sweet to pheasant hunters is that the planted acres of field corn are skyrocketing in ND this spring. 
Lots more corn acres and many farmers are assuming they will get it combined as quickly as last year. Maybe not. If the weather goes against us farmers that corn could be standing in the field well into October or later. Perfect cover for birds. Might spread pressure out quite a bit. Yes Bob, you can still hunt here. We'll put a beeper on you and the dog.

The reason it's not sweet is that if yields and prices stay high, more farmers are going to pull CRP contracts out when they come due.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

Not trying to be mean but the farmers who are willing to work their farm, like it is a real job, are doing great.A great many have CRP because it is the easy way out for older or less motivated people. It pretty much takes new people, that have a great amount of interest in working a farm, to pull any land out of CRP.

One of my pet peeves is so-called farmers that put their land into CRP then go out and rent farm land away from young guys that are trying to get into farming. If you put land into CRP you should get out of farming.

Sure CRP has been good for the hunters and such, but more so for city folks than the people that live in the country all day every day. I know the argument will be who pays the taxes, I know it isn't people that find loopholes and writeoffs, so it must be the single person with no deductions that pay most personal income tax.

And for all you Mothers out there (mo fo's included) have a great day!!


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Buckeye, you are right about why a lot of CRP went in the program. I should have said landowners instead of farmers, taking the land back out of CRP. But it will be the farmers that raise the bid above the CRP payment, if it comes out. The Fedral debt-budget will probaly be the defineing item.
Never the less, pheasant season should be good but I think all the corn acres are going to delay the best hunting. Which is fine. Think of all the wildlife food left in the field over winter as now so many farmers are going to no-till seeding. It's a case where conservation is good for people and wildlife.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

I agree I like it too. Wasn't it a paradise those last ten wet years. I know I for one hope we get to keep all these set aside acres, no matter what progam name they fall under.

There are alot of acres being put into production this year that have been unusable for farming for the last ten years or so. Hope fully this will have a great enuff impact on available farmland that the land in CRP can stay out of production.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I would not worry about crop prices staying high for too long. You guys farm so you know well that high prices push producers to plant more acres in the high priced crops. This year its soybeans. Unless the US and the rest of the world have terrible years the price of soybeans is gonna go down. If I was into playing the futures, which I'm not, I'd be shorting beans right now.

Honestly, CRP from an environmental standpoint is very undervalued by society. Clean water, retaining topsoil, wildlife etc are very important when looking at the long term. I only hope we figure this out pretty soon. We are burning up our soil at an alarming rate.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Dick, I need a beeper collar. :lol: Hunting corn with my dogs is an exercise in frustration and is when I really wish I had a good lab. I now have a Boykin spaniel so maybe I will be able to hunt the corn with him. The good thing for us non-res is that the standing corn will make the best hunting later in the season so we won't feel as bad about not hunting the first week. :lol: I can't wait for fall!


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