Did you have “corn sweat” on your 2024 bingo card?
Probably not, and even though it's a term, and phenomenon, that has been around for quite some time the term is just now starting to become known outside the farming communities.
So what is corn sweat? Well, in scientific terms it is evapotranspiration. For the rest of us, it means that the corn is drawing water up from the soil, using it for its growing needs and then releasing the remainder into the air in the form of vapor to help keep itself cool.
And, as farmers plant more and more corn (in part to a growing demand for ethanol) and warmer days and nights attributed to climate change, well… you get a double whammy resulting in increased humidity levels!
So, if the weather feels extra steamy… thank you local corn cob!
Farmers are also planting more acres of corn, in part to meet demand for ethanol, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. It all means more plants working harder to stay cool — pumping out humidity that adds to steamy misery like that blanketing much of the U.S.
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