Reuters

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High levels of fungal disease are threatening corn crops across Iowa and the rest of the Midwest.

The main diseases, southern rust and tar spot, arrived earlier and spread due to wet conditions.

These diseases attack corn leaves, which can reduce crop yields and farmer profits.

CHICAGO — High levels of fungal disease are lurking in corn fields across the U.S. Midwest, threatening to reduce yields of a record-large crop and cause headaches for farmers during the autumn harvest, growers and crop experts say.

The outbreaks are a blow to farmers in the world's biggest corn-producing country as they struggle to make money due to low grain prices and rising costs for fertilizer, seed and other inputs . Farmers had hoped to produce the biggest possible yields t

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