MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) - America got an earful about Mitchell's famed Corn Palace thanks to a nearly 7-minute segment on Comedy Central's popular "The Colbert Report."

The lighthearted segment was titled "A Shucking Disaster: Nightmare at the Mitchell Corn Palace." Colbert reported with tongue-in-cheek dread the tourist destination's need to drop from 12 to eight the number of corn colors on its murals because of the ongoing drought.

Colbert says in the bit that the country had been warned about rising food and fuel prices - "but no one prepared us for less vibrant corn murals."

Palace Director Mark Schilling tells The Daily Republic that no matter the joking tone, the publicity is welcome. The average viewership for "The Colbert Report" is 1.2 million.

Of course, this isn't the first time South Dakota has suffered Colbert's "humor"...

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.

More From KXRB