
In agriculture, a bumper crop is a
crop
A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel.
When plants of the same spe ...
that has yielded an unusually productive
harvest
Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
. The word "bumper" in this context comes from a usage that means "something unusually large",
which is where this term comes from.
Though very productive harvests often have positive implications for the producer, a bumper crop can also be a source of problems, such as when there is insufficient storage space (
barn
A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...
s,
grain bin
Grain bins are bulk storage structures for dry wheat, soybean, maize, oats, barley and more. Grain bins are cylinders made of corrugated sheets or sheet metal with a coned metal roof that has vents. The floors of grain bins have aeration sys ...
s, etc.) for the overlarge crop.
The term "bumper crop" has also been used to refer to a similar large result in other activities, or as a
pun
A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...
, such as with a group of automobiles (for their front/rear
bumpers).
[Ted Schnell (editor)]
"Cooler Temps Draw More Cars, Larger Crowd to Cruise Nite"
''St. Charles Patch'', St. Charles, Illinois. 25 July 2013. Accessed 20 October 2013.
References
Crops
{{agriculture-stub