LAYTON, Utah — When the sun rises, so do your local farmers. At Day Farms in Layton, they do just that.
Day Farms has nearly 220 acres of fresh produce, and according to Sam Day, about 100 of those acres are for Layton’s favorite crop: sweet corn.
“Tom and David are the owners. It’s because of their hard work we have corn before the Fourth of July this year,” Day said.
Having fresh corn by mid-July is typically a good sign, and given Utah’s changing weather conditions, they really didn’t expect much at all this summer.
“I was out here the evening before it froze and it was snowing and blowing and we were all saying our prayers for the fruit growers,” Day said. "We were hopeful that the sweet corn would make it since its close to the ground, but we came out the next morning and it was fried pretty good.”
After that cold snap hurt fruit farmers and others nearby, he nearly gave up too.
“I remember calling my dad and suggesting we should get back in there and replant that as soon as we can. He said no,” Day said. "I’ve seen it grow back before from when it looked like this. So, we left it and it didn’t look very good for about 3 more weeks. Then it started greening back up."
With Mother Nature’s help, the Days pulled off somewhat of a miracle.
“Here we are today with a good crop, good yield, good-tasting sweet corn,” Day said.
So when opening day came around on July 2, they were more than ready.
Of course, their customers were ready too. The line started before they opened at 10 a.m.
Another customer, Lisa Glad, said her family sent her there to make sure they had their favorite corn for the Fourth of July.
"It’s the first day, and I have family members who were like, ' Please buy corn, buy corn, buy corn.' So here I am, buying corn,” Glad said.
Who would’ve thought that an early-season freeze followed by an intense summer drought would bring loads of sweet corn back to the community in time for the holiday?
“We love our customers; they support us, they’re all local, and we hope we can continue that tradition of staying in business and giving back to them,” Day said.
They update their customers on the fruits and vegetables they have on their Facebook page. Their stands will be open again July 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
