As though things aren't tough enough for beef and dairy producers, it may get even stickier in the coming months. Idaho is growing more and more corn and that is a good thing. However, with an eye to the rest of the country, corn has started to lose some ground - according to U.S. Department of Agriculture Meteorologist Brad Rippey - because of continued hot, dry weather. Corn rated good to excellent has dropped from 61 to 59-percent and corn rated very poor to poor has increased from 13 to 14-percent. Rippey says some states have seen an even bigger increase: "We continue to watch the creeping of very poor to poor crop conditions upward in states like Iowa going from 18 to 21% very poor to poor, North Dakota, fairly marked climb to 19%." While corn is developing quickly in the heat - Rippey says that might be at the expense of some grain weight: "23% overall, the US corn crop dented by August 25, still behind the five year average of 45% and way behind last year's drought rushed crop that was 73% dented by August 25. The national numbers all way behind average and last year."