05/10/07 Summer of 2007 Fields of Dreams

Summer's nearly here traditionally heralding the start of baseball season and offering many a "fields of dreams" for chaps working to make it to the majors. Farmers too stand a chance at making it to the big leagues of farming this season, and it won't be illusion to actually discover ballfields in farm country surrounded by acres and acres of corn. A record number of our nation's farmers have converted crops, like soy rice and cotton into corn. The USDA reports the most acres in corn is expected to be planted since WWII, a remarkable 90.5 million. So like minor league ball players, corn will be popping up in fields in the Dakota's, Midwest, the South and the Pacific Northwest as a response to the ethanol boom. As in baseball, weather could throw farmers a curve, keeping the corn crop from becoming their home run. One thing is for certain the USDA"S estimate of 700 million more bushels than the 2004 record means a winning season for livestock producers as there should be more than enough feeder corn to go around.