2010: Farmer Josh Picks Sweet Corn

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By Josh Baynes

Story Created: Aug 18, 2010 at 11:27 AM CDT

Story Updated: Aug 19, 2010 at 4:15 PM CDT

Ever bitten into an ear of sweet corn and wondered how it got to your plate? Wanting to know the answer, I headed out to a local sweet corn farm.

Gary Knight, owner and operator of Knight's Farm near Whittier, picks sweet corn every day that is sold at many locations throughout Cedar Rapids. When I first arrived at the farm, I noticed the corn varied in height. Some corn was as tall as me and other corn was only a few feet high. Gary staggers his planting so he can have fresh corn to sell from July to October. This year, he started planting in April and then continued off and on until early July. In total, he planted 70 acres of sweet corn. In each acre, he plants about 20,000 seeds, so doing the math, he grows about 1.4 million ears of corn!

Needing to fill 7 wagons of sweet corn per day, and sometimes more depending on demand, Gary uses a machine that he pulls behind a tractor called a Corn Puller to gently pick the corn off the stalk, one row at a time. If it is too muddy for the tractor, he gathers help and picks all the corn by hand. Normally, about 1 acre of sweet corn is picked and sold every day.

One the corn is picked, it is taken back to a location to be sorted, discarding any stalks or small ears of corn that are not sellable. What he does not use, he feeds to livestock. Once the wagons are loaded, his workers take the corn into Cedar Rapids to be sold. He also sells the corn at Whittier Market in Whittier, a store Gary and his wife own and operate that focuses on selling local produce.

I asked Gary how he prepares his sweet corn and he said he just needs to warm it up enough to melt the butter. Typically this means microwaving it for 1-2 minutes per ear in a dish with a tiny bit of water. He said many people tend to overcook sweet corn, making it chewy and tough. After trying the sweet corn raw to test to see if it was ready to pick, I could see why it does need much preparation. It popped in my mouth and was very sweet.

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