Eastern Iowa Farmer Fall 2017

detasseling
This is the important work –
some would call it a rite of passage
– that Korey and more than
90 other area youths sign on for
every year.
The goal of the crews is to
seek out and pluck any tassels
that the detasseling machines
missed, according to Will Cornelius,
who has been in charge
of managing the detasseling
efforts for his family’s business
since returning from
college seven years ago.
Removing tassels is vital to
the seed business. The process eliminates
a corn plant’s ability to fertilize itself,
which means the pollen – along with the
genetic codes that go with it – is provided
by only what Will calls the “male” rows
of corn. Every corn stalk has both male
(the tassel) and female (the silks) reproductive
parts, and is normally capable
of completing the reproductive cycle by
itself.
To raise seed corn with tightly controlled
traits, Cornelius plants four rows
of “female” corn (with specific genetics)
fall 2017 | Eastern Iowa Farmer 15