(Continued from page 22)

corn as feed. It also improves profitability for the ethanol industry.
• But lower prices mean lower profits for farmers who will sell their grain at harvest. Corn for delivery in December fell 24 cents to $5.14. Last year during the drought, corn prices hit records highs exceeding $8 a bushel.
• "I would say I'm moderately concerned," Main said. "I frankly will be surprised if we don't see an improvement in the market before fall. We have a long ways to go and a lot of things can happen yet but after that fall today we're going to need some rebound in corn prices to make it work."
•

nual crowing count survey.
• The survey, done each spring for more than 50 years, involves wildlife officials from who drive 20-mile routes at sunrise, stopping every two miles for two minutes to listen for a male pheasant crowing to attract hens. The number of crows heard in the northwest decreased by 2 percent, the southwest by 12 percent, southeast by 11 percent and the northeast by 18 percent.
• Kohn said the crowing count reflected about 13 roosters per route, down a rooster from last year and about equal to 2011. The biggest number of roosters per route was 21 in 2008, said Kohn, a veteran of 37 such counts.
• The crowing survey is far from scientific, but it does gives biologists and hunters a hint of the pheasant population for the fall hunting season. As many as 100,000 hunters -- one-third of whom are typically from out of state -- use the forecast to plan hunting vacations.
• North Dakota's pheasant season opens Oct. 12 and runs through early January. State officials said the opening of pheasant season typically attracts more visitors to North Dakota than any other event during a one-or two-week period.
• Kohn said he's been busy fielding calls this week from hunters across the country attempting to get an early preview. A copy of the survey is slated to be released early next week, he said.

(Continued on page 24)