Corn does best with warm, sunny growing weather (75–86° F), well-distributed intermittent moderate rains, or irrigation (15 or more inches during the growing season), and 130 or more frost-free days. The U.S. corn belt has these soil and climatic conditions.
Acres U.S.A., the monthly magazine of eco-farming, is packed with practical information. But our editors can't fit it all in each month, so some of the richness ends up here. Check out this post, Book of the Week: How to Grow Top Quality Corn, by Dr. Harold Willis, in its entirety and many others in Eco-Farming Daily.