DATE: Tuesday, July 15, 1997                TAG: 9707150091

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   60 lines

NO RAIN, SMALL CORN, NO RELIEF SEEN IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO SAVE DRY, DYING CROPS

The cloudless sunny skies of late have been heaven for beachcombers. They have been closer to hell for Steve Barnes.

He owns and runs Baybreeze Farms in Pungo. Ears of corn from his fields are coming in smaller than normal these days, some with their silk matching the color of stalks: brown.

Without a good rain this week, corn growers such as Barnes pretty much can kiss their crops goodbye. In many fields, ears are literally roasting, and what survives won't be worth harvesting, farmers said.

For shoppers, that means smaller piles from which to choose. In some cases, it will also mean a few more dimes to the dozen than last year.

It's so bad in parts of the state's Southwest that folks are beginning to feed hay to cattle instead of corn, John Smith said. He's vice president of the Virginia Corn Growers Association.

``This drought is a widespread thing,'' Smith said.

With no end in sight.

Temperatures this week are expected to stay in the high 80s to 90s range, meteorologist Scott Valone said. The National Weather Service forecasts a 20 percent to 30 percent chance of rain for Wednesday and Thursday. Besides that, ``It doesn't look like a real optimistic week in terms of rain for the crops,'' Valone said.

Rain is almost moot now, Louis Cullipher said. He runs the Virginia Beach Agriculture Department.

``The high-yield potential has passed,'' Cullipher said. ``Once it pollinates, if you miss that little window, then the rain won't really help the crop.''

Corn is the largest acreage crop in the state and about the third largest money crop behind tobacco and soybeans. A poor harvest puts a dent in many wallets, especially those of the small farmers whose major outlets are roadside stands, Cullipher said.

Blame not only the summer's dry heat spell but the cold, wet spring that got this season's crops off to a lousy start.

That scenario repeats across the country, from Illinois to Maryland. While a lot of field corn - the yellow stuff that feeds animals and supplies oil, starch, sucrose and more - teeters for survival, observers don't foresee the price of corn-related items increasing. At least not anytime soon.

Locally, farmers are expecting to pull corn crops early. Usually, they pop ears until mid-August; most expect the harvest to be done by the first week instead.

The effects of the poor corn crops reach into the next season's planting. Without moist earth, soybeans, collard greens and other fall seeds won't catch and grow, which will delay production for those items.

Not everyone is complaining about the season's smaller ears of corn. Vacationers Nancy and Joe Monroe of Beaver County, Pa., picked up two dozen ears of sweet corn at Barnes' stand Monday afternoon.

``This size is great for my kids,'' Nancy Monroe said. ``My family is corn wild. And my mother-in-law will eat a dozen or so of these.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Steve Barnes KEYWORDS: DROUGHT

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