MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. — As we head into the second half of summer, farmers across the area are getting ready for sweet corn season.
Newswatch 16 stopped by Snyder Farms along Route 87, just north of Montoursville, to check the crop there.
"The weather this year has been challenging," said Scott Snyder.
Snyder has been farming all his life.
He says sweet corn growth depends on rainfall.
The drought conditions earlier this year left him worried about this year's crop.
"Well, with the drought, it was just not coming up the way it was supposed to, it was sporadic and just didn't look good," Snyder added.
But he says the corn is looking good and should be ready to pick in about 10 days.
"With the recent rains, it has perked things up, and it is looking good now," he said.
The old saying on farms is if the crops are knee-high by the Fourth of July then you are good to go, but nowadays, things have changed.
"That old saying is an old saying. It is well-passed knee-high by the Fourth of July. The new hybrids grow much better," Snyder stated.
All of his corn is picked fresh the day it is sold.
Snyder says the corn should be ready just a week later than normal as the weather keeps cooperating.
"Perfect weather right now. Hot and humid, and that is what corn likes," he stated.
The first day of sweet corn at Snyder Farms is slated for sometime between July 15 and July 18.
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