On-Farm Museum Focuses On Hybrid Corn CROPS Miscellaneous If there’s a place in the country that should showcase the history of hybrid corn Steve Kenkel figures it’s Shelby County Iowa where 18 companies were selling hybrid seed corn back in 1946 Kenkel has created a museum tracing the history of corn on his Earling Iowa farm and he welcomes visitors to check it out “My goal with the museum is that the younger generation doesn’t forget what our forefathers did to make it so easy for us today ” Kenkel says His interest began when he discovered old cloth seed sacks in the attic of the family home His grandfather had collected the sacks from area seed corn companies and as Kenkel visited with older neighbors he discovered the county’s prominent role in the development of hybrid corn “It tripled corn yields and revolutionized American agriculture ” Kenkel says Collecting seed corn sacks from the 18 Shelby County businesses was no easy task One collector advised him that the only way it could be done was to go to century farms and see if the sacks had been stashed away He spent a year going door to door before he found them all Meanwhile he picked up other sacks “First it was Iowa sacks then it became a free-for-all Now I have more than 1 200 sacks from all over the nation plus several hundred duplicates for trading ” he explains A few are from open pollinated varieties but most are hybrid corn from the 1930’s to the 1960’s before paper sacks were used Kenkel has room to display about 400 of the cloth sacks along with other corn equipment and memorabilia in his 5 000 sq ft museum The fifth generation farmer plants three corn plots to show the dramatic difference in corn yields: from Reid’s Yellow Dent open-pollinated corn that is check-planted; to US-13 the first American hybrid; to one of today’s triple stack corn varieties Kenkel shares the information he has learned in his book Kernels of Corn History and holds a biennial open house in August with many corn-related demonstrations At other times he advises visitors and tour bus groups to call for reservations between June and September His book is available through his website and on Amazon Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Steve Kenkel Hybrid Corn Pioneers Museum 2040 Ironwood Rd Earling Iowa 51530 ph 712 579-1320; www hybridcorncollector com; nskenkel@fmctc com

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