Late rains, cooler weather save most crops

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Associated Press

Story Created: Mon Nov 26, 2012 6:59 AM

Story Updated: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:00 AM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - With most of the harvest completed in Tennessee, farmers lament the loss of corn, but say timely rains that began in midsummer saved most other crops.
   
Cotton is expected to finish among the best per-acre yields ever.
   
In Portland, farmer Willis Jepson said soybeans made 55 bushels per acre - 15 bushels more than usual. Still, the farm lost $500,000 in corn.
   
University of Tennessee burley tobacco specialist Dr. Paul Denton said 2012 is shaping up to be the most profitable year since the 2004 buyout that ended government price supports.
   
Tom Womack, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, said how well farmers recovered from a torrid and parched June depended a lot on where their fields were.

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