Iowa Paying Farmers To Leave Corn Standing in the Field

The state of Iowa is paying farmers to leave rows of corn in their fields, along roads, to act as natural snow barriers.

And on a personal note, anyone who grew up on a farm knows how much snow corn stalks can trap - A LOT!

The way the program works is farmers get paid a little more than they'd get from selling the corn on the market, plus they can still harvest the rows in the Spring.

According to one Iowa farmer who signed up for the program and left eight rows of corn standing, it's working.

"That's four feet of snow that doesn't have to be cleared from the highway."

He says both drivers and snow plow operators alike have noticed the difference it's making - and there's still a lot of winter left!