MOUNT VERNON — Drought has devastated the crops in large areas of the county. In Ohio the effects have varied considerably and Knox County appears to have gotten off easier than many areas.
Jim Braddock, who farms on Mount Gilead Road west of Fredericktown, called Knox County “the garden spot of the state of Ohio.” He doesn’t know how good his crop will be, except that Knox County is in better shape than other parts of Ohio.
Knox County Extension Director John Barker said the corn crop will probably not match the size of the last three years, but it’s not in bad shape compared to the rest of the state.
“We got early rains that really helped and we had some timely rains,” Barker said.
He said it is hard to judge the overall crop size because there can be a lot or variation, not only in different parts of the county, but in different parts of the same field.
A farmer can check an ear in one row and it looks good, while just a few rows away, the ears may be smaller or not full because of the soil type and how well it retained moisture.
David Mitchem has farmed for 30 years near the Knox-Licking County line.
“It’s not going to be a record year, but I think we’ll be OK,” Mitchem said.
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