Corn costs

Continued from page 4 generally lower, especially if they’re one that manufactures it,” Lowe said. “They can sell it cheaper than your local store because there is no middleman.”

There are also family-owned and -operated farms with grain elevators, like Sweet Water Grain in Agua Dulce, where they focus almost exclusively on cleaned corn production.

“I guess the big thing is we’re farmers first,” said Bryce Osborn of Sweet Water Grain, “Currently we are in a position where we can grow enough of our own corn to supply our demand. That being the case, we can offer a competitive price.”

But growing their own crop isn’t a shortcut to cheap deer corn.

“Bags, labor, pallets, plastic wrap, freight and mineral oil to keep the dust down are all costs that influence our prices,” Osborn said. “But ultimately, cleaned corn is a superior product for hunters because they don’t have to worry about dust, stalks and cobbs clogging their feeders”.

No matter where hunters buy their corn, the increase in dependable local supply appears to be the primary factor leading to improved deer corn prices compared to last year. The current price for a 50-pound bag of deer corn at Mumme’s is $11.99.