Crop Circles - damaging to the crop itself ?

[kahunabean]

Don't worry I know crop circles are created by pranksters with string, planks, a good sense of humour and a belly full of beer. When Doug and Dave (as I understand it the first serial crop-circlers) first came clean about their pranks I remember they claimed that no harm was done to the crops ... Is this true and how come ? It looks like the crops get completely flattened and I would expect the farmer(s) to be hopping mad.

[WaldoMcFroog]

I agree with you - the crop would most likely be ruined, but the farmers used to love it becuase they'd charge people a fortune to go and look at them!

[Quizmonster]

Apparently, nowadays, responsible circle-makers - I know that seems to be an oxymoron, like 'military intelligence' - don't actually flatten the crop. They leave it at such a level that the farmer can still harvest it successfully just by lowering the blades on his harvester. So I've heard, anyway.