ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Farmers have planted the second-largest corn crop in nearly seven decades this spring. The huge crop could ease a grain shortage and keep food prices from rising over the next six months.
The U.S. Agriculture Department says the size of this year's corn crop will be 92.3 million acres, the second-biggest since 1944. The 2007 crop was the largest.
Many analysts had worried that wet weather would cut the number of corn acres. But record-high corn prices are encouraging farmers to plant as much corn as possible.
Worries over a shortage have pushed the price of corn to a record $7.99 a bushel this summer. Backup supplies of corn are expected this year to hit their lowest level since 1995.
