PHOTO OPP: the first batch of corn is expected to be delivered from the Fresno State fields to the Farm Market at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 13. For images of the delivery at loading dock or the early morning harvest in the field (harvest begins at 5 a.m.), contact Tom Uribes for arrangements.

Despite a three week weather delay … it’s here! Fresno State’s popular sweet corn makes it first appearance of the year — and “disappearance” — at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 13, at the university’s Farm Market at Chestnut and Barstow avenues.

The student-produced field crop traditionally draws long lines of people to the market where it sells fast at four ears of corn for $1. But University Farm officials expect enough corn to last the summer and have even announced revised extended summer hours that include Sundays for the first time due to customer demand.

The new summer hours, effective June 25, are:

• Monday through Friday 8 a.m. — 6 p.m.

• Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. — 4 p.m.

The first sweet corn to be harvested is Avalon, a white variety introduced for the first time on the Fresno State farm, said Gary Chavira, a crop technician who has overseen the corn project at Fresno State for the past 10 years.

Yellow Honey Select will arrive a couple of days later.

Avalon is a triple-sweet variety with tender, creamy, extra-sweet kernels that’s bound to be a hit with Farm Market customers, Chavira said.

“The unusually wet and cold spring delayed the harvest of the first sweet corn crop by about three weeks,” Chavira explained. “We are pleased with the quality of the ears given the tough

weather conditions.”

Chavira and his students plant sweet corn almost every week to provide a continuous supply to the Farm Market. The 45-acre corn project, like all other student-run projects, provides students with hands-on experience in production and marketing.

“Learning by doing” is the motto at University Agricultural Laboratory, said its director, Dr. Ganesan Srinivasan, who oversees the 1,000-acre farm at Fresno State that produces a variety of row crops, nuts, olives, vegetables, plants and flowers and fruit. The market also sells dairy products and meat that comes from animals raised on the campus farm.

“Students love that experience,” Srinivasan said, noting that more than 150 students work in various projects at the University Farm as part of their training. All proceeds from the farm go to strengthen the teaching and research mission of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.

In addition to corn, the Farm Market’s current list of fresh produce includes meat, nectarines, peaches, apricots, cherries, green beans and summer squash. Also available are award-winning Fresno State wines, the recently released Estate Reserve Olive Oil produced from campus-grown olives and frozen meats, including a variety of sausage.

For more information, call 559.278.4511.