COLUMBUS - The hot, dry summer has hurt Ohio's vegetable and grain crops, but has been helpful for fruit farmers.

        Lack of moisture has concentrated sugars in peaches, apples, grapes and other fruits, making them sweeter this year.

        “Dry and hot always makes for quality,” said Mitch Lynd, who operates a fruit farm near Pataskala.

        Growers would prefer some rain, because fruits tend to be smaller in a drought, cutting yields.

        For those growers with irrigation systems, peaches this year have been as good as any in recent memory, and apples are expected to have excellent flavor, firmness and color. Mike Pullins of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation said fruit prices should be stable.

        Melvin Babbert of Canal Winchester expects his corn and soybean yields to be down as much as 20 percent this year. Many ears of corn haven't developed fully and some stalks don't have any ears. “It's just dried up,” he said.

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