Corn may be too plentiful this month for the farmers of DeKalb.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, corn production is up 16 percent from 2003.

The USDA said that if these numbers keep up through December, this could be the largest production on record.

The record was set last year, when the USDA reported production was an estimated 10.1 billion bushels.

The USDA said production is forecasted to be at record highs in 19 of the 33 recognized corn states, including Illinois.

With all the corn being produced, corn prices have decreased and local farmers may be forced to store, instead of sell, their corn.

Farmers agree that this season has produced the largest crop.

“This is the biggest crop that we’ve ever produced,” DeKalb farmer Roy Plote said.

Many people are cashing in on the recent price decrease.

“The prices were pretty high last winter. If we have bad weather, then the buyer will be worried about what the weather will be next summer, so they buy before the prices rise,” Johnson said.

Though more people are buying corn due to the decreased prices, local farmers still are not able to sell all of the corn, which is creating a surplus.

“Once you get an overage, that corn can be carried over for a whole year,” Plote said.

Storing corn may be an alternative but could be hazardous to the corn. Moisture levels are a concern for storage.

Farmers should keep the moisture levels low to protect the corn from mold and pests, Plote said. With proper air management, corn can be stored year round.

Extra storage for farmers may also be needed to store the excess corn.

They are beginning to build processing plants to help store corn, where the corn will be used for making various objects such as clothes and diapers, Plote said.

“They are in the process of making this fabric that is better than polyester to wick away moisture from your body,” he said.

However, the price of corn is slowly starting to rise. There has been an increase in pricing as recently as last week, Plote said, and the next increase will be expected to occur right before the Illinois River freezes, which is where much of the local corn is loaded onto barges for exportation.

Farmers are also hoping increases in ethanol production and exports will help prop up the demand. According to the National Corn Growers Association, the U.S. ethanol industry could generate about 3.35 billion gallons of the fuel this year, a 19 percent increase from 2003.