Toddler Gone Missing in 10-Foot-Tall Corn Field is Finally Detected During Nighttime Search for the 3-Year-Old

Sep 03, 2024

By Andy Corbley

A little 3-year-old wandered into a cornfield behind his house, determined to catch a kitty he had seen run between the stalks.

For anyone who’s enjoyed a late summer/early autumn corn maze, they’ll know it’s an easy micro-environment to get lost in. And sure enough, the boy was in over his head within moments.

Deputies responded to calls from the child’s parents in the town of Alto, in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin on August 25th. By 7:30 p.m., they still hadn’t found him, but suspected he was somewhere among the 100 acres of ears beside their house.

As the light faded away, all nearby homes and barns had been searched, and the deputies realized they had to comb the cornfield on foot.

But fortunately they had a special electric eye in the sky—a search and rescue drone from the Pont du Lac Police Department Technology Response Group, equipped with a thermal imaging camera.

While officers entered calling out for the boy, the drone quickly spotted a thermal signature amongst the corn stalks at about 9:30. Drone operators radioed the deputies who could be guided to the boy’s position.

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.