AMID BUMPER CORN CROP, DRUG PLANTS GO TO POT

A stellar year for corn means more work for marijuana
growers.

The corn is growing rapidly this season, which means illegal
grow-operations hidden in cornfields need more care than usual.

"Because the corn is growing so rapidly, some of these guys have to
clear out a lot of corn to get enough sunlight," said Perth County OPP
Const. Kees Wijnands.

To make it easier to find their marijuana plants among the rows of
corn, some illegal crop growers are using GPS systems to locate their
crops, Wijnands said.

They used to have to count how many rows into the corn the marijuana
was planted, but thanks to technology it's much simpler to find their
plants.

As they do every year, police will fly over fields in late summer or
early fall to look for marijuana on farms.

In the meantime, police are asking pilots of private planes to take
down the co-ordinates of any suspicious circles in farmers fields and
call police or Crime Stoppers. The round patches in the field will
have a dark centre because marijuana is darker than other crops.

Drivers and rural residents are asked to keep an eye out for vehicles
parked on the side of the road near a farmer's field.

"They could be watering or fertilizing. They do keep an eye on their
plants. Get the plate numbers and give us a call right away," Wijnands
said.

Wijnands himself removed 10 small plants from a farmer's field just
last week. It's a common occurrence.

The farmer spotted circular openings in his grain field while standing
on a grain bin and called police.

Wijnands noted some outdoor grow-ops are booby-trapped.

"We have to be careful," he said. "They want to protect their
investment."

He cautioned against dismantling an outdoor grow-op.