Thousands of Acres of Crops Destroyed By Hail Storm

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Agricultural experts have been tallying the crop damage caused by last weekend's storm that packed 50 mph winds and dropped baseball-sized hail in parts of Minnesota.

The storm was a blow for farmers from Kandiyohi County to Nicollet County at a time when commodity prices are already down.

Crop consultant Curt Burns says it was a banner year for many crops, but the storm damaged thousands of acres of corn, soy beans, kidney beans, sugar beets, peas, sweet corn, and alfalfa, adding up to losses in the millions.