Corn plants dry in a drought-stricken farm field on 17 July 2012 near Fritchton, Indiana. The corn and soybean belt in the middle of the nation is experiencing one of the worst droughts in more than five decades. Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images

5 April 2013 (Reuters) – A cool spring in the Midwest has farmers eager for soils to warm up before planting what is expected to be the region’s biggest crop in decades. Farmers this week could begin planting corn in many spots across the upper Midwest, according to insurance policies that cover costs if they have to replant because of a flood or killing frost. Farmers are hoping for a better season than 2012, when yields were the smallest in 17 years because of the worst drought since the Dust Bowl years. “We’re getting anxious. Things aren’t quite where they need to be soil-temperature-wise, so we are trying to be as patient as we can,” said Cory Ritter, who farms 2,000 acres in central Illinois.

Midwest Farmers Looking for Best Crop in Decades