It's (just barely) October in Minnesota. The corn harvest around St Joe started last week, and I noticed, in passing the same field a few times, that they'd left two rows of corn standing. I've wondered about this for about fifteen YEARS, honest. I've asked former farmers what was going on, and never got an answer. Was it to feed wild deer or provide cover for pheasants, maybe? (Never get a chance to ask a current farmer--they're too busy). But this week, I asked my favorite retired farmer client about it. He's in hospice, and isn't always lucid, but when I go sit with him, I try to talk about normal, everyday stuff as a respite from "how are you?" Plus, I actually wanted to know.
He said, quite clearly, that the first fields harvested are the fields that didn't turn out--corn that dried out and never formed cobs. They leave two rows so the crop insurance adjuster can see what it looked like. Then he went back to sleep with a pleased grin on his face that matched mine. Cool, huh?
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