Farmers burned by China trade make a killing off corn cannons
Corn and soybean farmers caught in the middle of the U.S.-China trade war are finding a-maize-ing ways to make extra cash with spare ears of corn.
FOX Business’ Jeff Flock visited the Howell Family Farm in Cumming, Iowa, outside Des Moines, where they are charging people $2 per four bushels to stick corn cobs down the barrel of a cannon and firing them out of silos.
With corn prices so low, sixth-generation American farmer Erin Howell Conner said they are better off shooting corn than selling it in the commodity market.
“Rough — under $4 per bushel,” she said adding that the trade issues with China are killing prices.
U.S. corn exports are down more than 19% in 2019 compared to a year ago, according to the USDA Economic Research Service, and soybean exports have dropped more than 17%.
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However, the side-hustle is saving this one business. The farm is raking in about $100 a bushel off the corn cannon, Howell said. Other areas of the property are also being used for corn mazes and hayrides.
So how does it work?
You load it up just like a regular cannon and fire when ready at a pumpkin target. When you hit the mark the song “We Are the Champions” plays.
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