Talk:bumper crop

could somebody add an origin/history of the phrase "bumper crop". i have no idea what it is, myself. what is a bumper in this context? --205.200.7.228

A bumper is the top edge of a silo where crops are stored. The bumpers prevent damage to the silo when attaching/aligning the conveyor belt from the harvesters/trucks to the silo. So filling it up all the way to the bumpers is to fill it higher than ever imagined (a silo is supposed to be larger than possibly needed for a given area of farmland.) --Connel MacKenzie T C 21:31, 4 February 2006 (UTC)

Actually, that last part is probably wrong. A bumper crop is a problem for a farmer as they now have nowhere to store the remainder of their harvest and may lose the profits of any excess that can't be stored. If someone can work that into a "folk" etymology, go ahead. --Connel MacKenzie T C 21:33, 4 February 2006 (UTC)

A bumper is also 18th century slang for a pint glass of beer filled to the brim, and a bumper crop is a crop of grain that has produced high yield for the farmer and can be used to make an abundance of beer