Early Sweet Corn Gives State Farmers Edge

Connecticut leads the Northeast in production of extra-early sweet corn, allowing farmers to bring the popular produce to market long before farms in neighboring states.

Using a combination of plastic mulch and fabric row cover, several Connecticut farmers specializing in extra-early sweet corn production are consistently able to produce the crop before other regional growers.  Baggott Farms in East Windsor began harvesting Sunday, and the other farms using similar techniques will begin picking this week. 

Expect to see sweet corn popping up at farmers’ markets and farm stands this weekend, and becoming increasingly more available over the next two weeks.  The handful of farms that specialize in extra-early production wholesale to other farms whose corn is not yet ready. 

“One of Connecticut’s agricultural distinctions is its super-early sweet corn,”said Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky.  “It’s one of the things that makes our early summers extra special, and it can be enjoyed by all residents, regardless of which part of the state they live in, thanks to the way our farmers work together.  That first bite of the first ear of the season is a gustatory delight we relish before our neighbors in surrounding states, and is one reason I love living and working in Connecticut.”

Sweet corn is among the most popular of Connecticut Grown vegetables.  Approximately 300 farms dedicate a total of 4500 acres to the crop, producing 37.6 million ears annually, or about 11 ears per person each year.  These figures are for sweet corn only, the kind that is used for corn-on-the-cob, and do not include field corn grown for livestock feed or milling into corn meal.

Consumers seeking Connecticut Grown sweet corn and other crops of the season can locate the nearest farmers’ market or farm stand by visiting the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s website, www.CTGrown.gov, and clicking on Publications at the top of the page.