Proud to be a Farmer: Successful corn harvest for the Boyd Family

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - When you think about crops in Georgia, peaches, peanuts, and pecans often come to mind.

But, did you know the state’s most widely-grown crop is corn?

The Boyd family has been growing corn for years in Effingham and Screven County for nearly a century.

This season, they grew more than 1,300 acres of corn, which is more than a typical year.

“So typically, we grow between 800 and 1000 and this year we ended up I think about 1350. The season, the spring, you know everything was working well and the plan is working good. We had the right moisture and the market seemed to like corn at the time, so we just planted a little bit more. Now I’m thankful that we did,” said farmer Ben Boyd.

The Boyd family grew so much corn that their typical grain elevator didn’t have room for their product and had to look at alternate options.

“We ended up with a lot of corn with nowhere to go so we kind of didn’t have a home for it, which is a good problem to have. But it’s a problem nonetheless,” said Boyd.

They ended up renting alternate storage facilities, a small price to pay in order to cater to this year’s abundant corn crop.

“At my house that pays the light bills, we’re glad to have a good crop. So anytime we can have a big crop it makes everything work smoother in my house,” said Boyd.

No matter what challenge each farming season presents, this family looks forward to tackling it with faith.

“I think feeding the world, taking care of land like God’s given us opportunity. You know, we got the dirt we’re sitting on now, we got water we use, air we use and we’re going to try to leave it better than we found it. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to get to take this and make it into something that my little girl can eat,” said Boyd.

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