What I Learned From Detasseling Corn

 

 I reminisced with my cousin the other day about the misery of late July in the corn fields. We both made our back to school shopping money in the summers detasseling corn.

 Illinois is corn country so if you’re a little confused by the term “detasseling” let me explain. The top part of the corn stalk is the pollinator. In order to get the best yields, you rip out the tassel (the top part) and throw it on the ground. That way it won’t pollinate the field. Farmers choose to have one variety that pollinates the rest. It’s used every 5^th row and its tassels are left in place so it can do its work. This is primarily for food corn and not feed corn.

Seed companies have machines that go through the fields and pull most of the tassels. They can only get some 70 to 80% of them though, the rest are left for high school kids from July to August. With all things agriculture the weather dictates the perfect time. My brother and I worked with a group from Winnebago High School. One of the teachers there gathered kids for a few weeks every summer and sorted us into crews.

His crew leaders were usually experienced kids that followed us rookies through the long rows and pulled the ones we had missed. I liked the teacher, he was approachable and funny. He was also paid to get a job done so it was all business when we started.

The job was simply miserable, there is no way better way to categorize it. It’s a great way to earn money for kids with no other options though.

 It’s unlikely kids from 13 to 15 have had any job before. The ones who grew up in the country, on a farm knew how to work hard. But they weren’t going to be detasseling corn. They had other work to do. Most of us never had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to be at the bus pick up by 5:00 and be on by 5:30. It was summer after all. Kids sleep till 10:00 in the summer. The hardest part of the day was when my mom woke us up. I nearly cried every morning at the thought of what was coming.

We packed lunches (a welcome break) and took ponchos to wick the morning dew off the corn stalks that soaked your clothing without it. Mud caked on your shoes making every pass down the row heavier than the last. It’s often cold in the morning too, between 50 and 60 even in mid summer. But it warms up quick. After just a few hours of morning sun the wetness that turned your sweatshirt sleeves into a dripping sponge was already drying up. The July heat baked your skin and you regretted your heavier clothes.

I never seemed to get the clothing right.

Sunglasses are a must. The goggle type with the side guards are best. The eye level corn leafs do their best to gouge you as you walk by. This is in addition to stabbing your neck and scaring your face. You feel it more in the shower after a long day of cold and heat abuse to your skin. It’s summer too so sunburn is a constant. Every day I wanted to quit. It’s not impossible work but it’s tough and soft kids get weeded out quickly.

We had a commitment of two weeks. There was usually more work after that but only the guys who made a good impression were asked to stay. My brother and I were both asked to work a couple of extra days. I was proud of that but I don’t remember if we actually did. We weren’t allowed to skip regular days. My mom wouldn’t hear of it. It’s the only reason we made it through without quitting.

There is something magical that happens when you set your mind to a thing. You decide to do a chore or go to a place or make a call, the struggle gets easier. Much of the struggle is with the indecision, the vacillating over whether or not to go forward. Decisions make for smoother execution when you don’t give yourself an out. My mom made the first decision for my brother and I, “Go”. We had to make the second, “Finish”. But we pushed on with the knowledge that we were working at least the full two weeks. It made the rest easier.

Once you flip that switch in your brain from indecision to decision, everything gets easier. Parents help their kids immensely when they take away options that provide an out for them. Why? Because kids take the easy path every time. Discipline in later life comes from discipline in early life. I’m happy for the tough days, the cold morning and hot afternoons, the sunburn and chaffed skin, the sore legs and muddy, heavy shoes.

Find a job for your kids that makes them want to quit, and force them to finish. They’ll learn to get over the “I quit” instinct and set their minds to it.