GRATTAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An old agricultural adage says corn should be knee high by the Fourth of July.
Times have changed, according to farmer Denny Heffron, as corn is now planted earlier in the season and advances in farming technology have allowed the crop to grow faster and taller.
"It used to be [true]," Heffron said about aphorism. "Really, it needs to be waist high by the Fourth of July."
As for last week's heat, Heffron said his corn "loved it."
"You and I may not have liked it, but the corn loved it," he said.
On Tuesday, Heffron took me around Grattan Township to show me how his crops have fared so far this summer.
High temperatures and high humidity have generally been beneficial, he said, especially for corn and pickles, though more rain in the near future is needed.
"If you have heat, water and sunshine, you’ll grow pickles fast," Heffron said.
While his apples and cherries enjoyed a frost-free spring, a recent hail storm in Kent County damaged them to a significant degree.
"That hail was really expensive," he said.
Wheat and hay are also down due to a cooler and wetter spring.
"The shortest wheat I think I've ever seen," he said.
As is the case for all farmers, Heffron's livelihood depends on the weather brought by Mother Nature. Whether the sun shines or the rain pours, though, he says he's done it for decades and has the crop diversity built to weather the weather.
"That's the nature of the job," he said. "That's agriculture."
