BEATRICE, Neb. - Nebraska is recognized by many through corn, but during summertime in the midwest corn takes on a new meaning - corn sweat.

Presenting oppressive humidity and high temperatures, corn sweat occurs in the mid-late summer period. News Channel Nebraska spoke with professionals to learn what corn sweat, why it happens, and why it makes us so uncomfortable.

“Corn sweat is the evaporation coming off corn stalks as they are sitting out in the field,” NCN Meteorologist Kent Boughton said.

“It’s actually a sign that the corn is actually really healthy,” UNL Extension Educator Eric Hunt said.

The term “evapotranspiration” is where corn sweat begins - it’s water from plants, making its way into the atmosphere. According to Eric Hunt, an Extension Educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,  it means the plants are going through the growth process the right way.

“In the case of corn, it does have a lot of evapotranspiration at this time of the year,” Hunt said. “It’s going through its reproductive stages so it’s setting those kernels, filling in those kernels, so while I goes through that process to fill out the corn stalk, it does tend to use quite a bit of water,.”

And that water leads to high dew points, meaning oppressive humidity. News Channel Nebraska Chief Meteorologist Kent Boughton says one acre of corn can give off 3,000-4,000 gallons of water each day, but irrigation of those crops adds another 9,000 gallons per day.

“When you combine 9,000 in the air, on the ground, in the corn and calculate in that it’s sweating another 3,000-4,000 gallons… No wonder our dew points rise and it gets so very uncomfortable in Nebraska.”

While the humidity related to corn sweat may be uncomfortable, Hunt says we’re at the peak, and things should slowly subside - but we won’t be out of the woods for awhile.

“We’re probably going to be relatively humid for at least another month,” Hunt said. “Labor Day, we’re usually past the worst of it. Usually by the time we’re deeper into September, crops are nearing maturity and we see less humidity.”

As humidity remains, so to do the risks related to it. Boughton says to take precautions if outdoors for the rest of the summer.

“Stay hydrated, that’s number one.. Drink lots of water,” Boughton said. “Heat exhaustion is a dangerous thing.”