By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
Corn harvest is underway in the Lone Star State, and for some farmers, a wet spring led to a golden year.
It’s the harvest season many farmers like Mark Prinz needed after last year’s devastating drought.
His yields averaged 110 to 165 bushels an acre—much higher than the drought-stricken crop yields of 2022.
“A good yield always makes for a good year when it’s hot and dry. The kernel size is a little bigger than what we were expecting for the heat and dry finish we had here,” Prinz said. He attributes his crop success to the rainfall in early spring. This year, he received 12 inches of rain compared to the 4.5 inches they received last growing season.
Those late winter and early springs rains in Central Texas—where he farms in Williamson County—left Prinz hesitant about when he would start planting corn. But the soil warmed up in mid-February and it took 10 days for Prinz to plant.
Despite the challenges that come with every growing season, Prinz continues to push through and remains optimistic.
“There are a lot of factors that go into a good yield. The preparation of the land starts after harvest for the next crop. The tillage that we do now will reward us on the yield for next year’s crop,” Prinz said. “This really makes us excited to try again and try to beat this year’s yield. If we know we can produce this, we know there is much more hope out there to beat this year’s crop yield again.”
Some of Prinz’s corn will be used locally for deer corn and chicken feed, while the rest will be stored in grain bins.
Prinz is a fifth-generation farmer working alongside his father and brother where they grow corn, cotton, milo and wheat. They also have a cow-calf operation.
“I guess you could say there’s farming in our blood. My grandpa and dad farmed, and we grew up on the farm,” Prinz said. “I’ve been driving the tractor since I was six years old, and I’ve always been inspired growing the crops and operating the equipment.”
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