A Wayne County farmer in southern Iowa won this year’s tallest cornstalk contest at the Iowa State Fair. Elmer Klataske of Corydon defeated the 13-time champion to win this year — but he doesn’t tell any tall tales about his tall corn. He says he works away from home and has always admired the tall corn contest, so he planted corn bred to get tall. But, he says he didn’t give it any special treatment and says he may in fact be guilty of neglecting the corn. Klataske’s corn was 17-feet-one and three-quarters inches tall. He says he didn’t think it was tall enough to win the contest, but thought it might be tall enough to get a ribbon. Some parts of the state have suffered through dry conditions that kept the corn from growing and Klataske says his area wasn’t overly blessed with rainfall. They had “barely enough, but enough” rain for the corn to put on good sized ears, but he says he’s not sure if they’ll all fill out. Klataske says he wants to try the tall corn contest again next year.He says he loves all of the fair, but his two favorite attractions are the tall corn contest and the butter cow. Klataske’s winning entry beat 13-year defending champion Clarence Anderson of Brighton. Anderson’s entry measured 15-feet 11-inches.
