Corn a cash crop for hard-working kids

Joe Hornaday

For most of Decatur County’s younger denizens, the summer season provides a welcome vacation from the rigors of school, homework and athletics. But for some, summer brings the opportunity to make some cash, and many local kids head out into the cornfields to find it.

Younger kids who may be unable to find summer employment elsewhere will often seek to make money by detasseling. Detasseling is the act of removing the pollen-making tassel from a corn plant and dropping it on the ground. This is done to hybridize two different varieties of corn, so all the grain growing on the plants will be fertilized by the other variety’s tassels. This often results in higher crop yields.

Most detasseling in the county is completed in two separate steps. First, a cutting and pulling machine will go through the field detasseling, and the rest will be done manually. That is where the county’s youth come in.

When employed by Stewart Seeds, the kids are each assigned one row when pulling the tassels the first time, and each row requires numerous passes. According to main supervisor Josh Gunn, there are approximately 165 kids who will lather up the sunscreen and hit the fields every morning.

“I think it’s a good opportunity, but it’s definitely not the easiest job in the world,” Gunn explained. “It’s a lot of work.”

This year, Stewart Seeds got a late start on the detasseling season, as cold and wet weather and the June floods set things back. Still, the kids are happy to have the opportunity to work.

“The kids are 13 years old at least,” Gunn said. “And we’ve got a lot of college-age kids in supervisory roles.”

Early in the morning, buses pick up the young detasselers. They are then assigned a crew leader for the season who monitors their work and follows them as they make their way through the rows of corn. Around noon, the kids are bused back to Stewart Seeds to enjoy lunch and a much needed break. And with temperatures in the 90s over the last few days, the kids have been sent home early so they do not have to suffer through the intense heat.

Seventeen-year-old Matt Moorman, who is a crew leader in the cornfields, is always happy to offer his skills when the detasseling season begins.

“I’d rather be outside than inside, working in a restaurant or something,” he explained.

Though being out in the blazing sun in July is not an enjoyable aspect of the job, Moorman still would not have it any other way.

“We walk and make money,” he said. “But it’s tough the first day, because you’re nervous.”

Moorman and his friends do plan to put their names in when Stewart Seeds comes seeking detasselers next year. Their dedication is something Gunn appreciates, especially as the temperatures rise and the sun beats the earth.

“There are lots of variables, and it’s a daily process,” Gunn said. “There’s definitely a learning curve that everyone has to go through. If you can do this day after day, in the rain or at 95 degrees, it’s impressive.”

Gunn added that both he and Stewart Seeds were glad to offer the opportunity to the county’s young people.

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