Outlook for Iowa's sweet corn is golden

Little in life is better than a three-day July Fourth weekend, unless it's a three-day July Fourth weekend with Iowa sweet corn sizzling on the grill.

But most Iowans are unlikely to get ears grown in the state until after the big holiday, say some big central Iowa growers. They expect Iowa's sweet corn to be ready sometime during the July 7th week.

"It's kind of a bummer, because everyone wants some. But it's something we can't rush," said Michelle Christenson, who owns Grimes Sweetcorn with her husband, Ray Christenson.

If it makes it any easier for Iowans salivating for some buttery golden morsels, this year's could be among growers' best, they said.

"It's some of the prettiest corn I've ever had," said Ron Deardorff of Deardorff Sweet Corn in Adel. While the ears are still forming, the corn plants are deep green and strong, said Deardorff, whose family business includes his wife, Becky, and son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Christina Deardorff.

"We ought to produce a good ear," said Mike Penick of Penick Sweet Corn near Carlisle. "We won't know for a few days, but it's looking like an excellent crop."

Cool temperatures this spring delayed growing slightly, growers said. But the corn will still hit farmers markets and stands earlier than it did last year, when a sopping wet spring delayed picking until the middle of July.

"We've been blessed with nice growing conditions and rainfall," said Deardorff, who added that central Iowa sweet corn fields escaped the worst of the storms that swept large parts of the state earlier this month.

The exact date Iowa sweet corn will hit stands is a moving target. "We don't like the heat and humidity, but the corn does," Christenson said. "A good shot of rain and muggy weather, and it will develop rapidly. It can change the dynamic a little bit."

And for those unable to wait, stores like Hy-Vee have plenty of sweet corn from Southern states. "It's not Iowa sweet corn, but it still sells very well," said Mike Orf, vice president of produce at Hy-Vee Foods.

"Local is our first choice," Orf said. "We'd have Iowa sweet corn 52 weeks a year if we could."

Lynn Heuss is among those counting the days until their first bites of Iowa-grown sweet corn.

But as the assistant coordinator of the statewide Local Food and Farm Initiative, Heuss would like residents to consider spreading their love for sweet corn to other locally grown veggies. "There's bok choy, arugula, kale, spinach and all the herbs," Heuss said. "It's summer. Have an adventure with the colors on your plate."

Stretching those choices would help our economy, she said, given Iowa imports nearly 90 percent of the $8 billion it spends on food each year.

And it would help our bellies. "Any increase would help local producers, and it would be a healthful addition to our diets," Heuss said.

Interactive map

Check back to DesMoinesRegister.com/SweetCorn for an interactive map of where to find sweet corn once it hits the stands.