Corn field at sunsetIt’s been nearly four years since the historic August 2020 derecho decimated a whopping 550,000 acres of Iowa corn. The 125-mph straight-line winds also brought torrential rain and large hail. Since then, seed companies have responded to increased demand for short-stature corn.

The more compact corn hybrids appear to handle winds up to 50 mph and higher with little greensnap or lodging. Corn growers have already started experimenting with short corn hybrids and have, for the most part, reported favorable yields. However, with shorter corn comes increased risks to equipment that now must be run much closer to the ground.

Read more on short corn hybrids here.