Ike's Remnants Batter Farm Crops in South, Midwest LOUISVILLE, KY (kccu-fm) - From Texas rice farms to Midwest cornfields, some farmers in the path of Hurricane Ike's remnants saw profits sink as strong winds battered crops.

Along with prospects of lower yields, those farmers will have to take more time to harvest as they slowly move equipment through fields to try and scoop up crops knocked down by the storm. That means farmers have to spend more money on fuel to keep combines in the fields longer.

Heavy rains in central and northern Illinois came too late to help the state's corn crop but could give a late boost for soybeans after an extended summer dry spell. But in western Kentucky, Ike lashed corn fields with high winds.

In Texas, where Ike made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, strong winds and rains heavily damaged the rice crop, equipment and storage facilities east of Houston. And the storm was blamed for killing about 4,000 cattle in two southeast Texas counties and some of the missing livestock may never be found.

About a quarter of Arkansas' rice crop was affected by wind and rain from remnants of hurricanes Ike and Gustav. Based on preliminary reports, Arkansas farmers could lose 10 percent of their overall yield because of the storms. © Copyright 2009, kccu-fm