DES MOINES REGISTER

June 5, 2007

Corn demand rekindles old occupation

Ethanol boom puts rural teens back to work in the fields for company owned by DuPont

By JERRY PERKINS, Des Moines Register

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The ethanol boom is having another ripple effect: Detasselers are back in demand.

The job of removing the bushy tassel from the top of the corn plant provided summer jobs for decades for many small-town and rural teens. Better yields and machines that do preliminary detasseling, however, have reduced the number of detasselers needed during the decades.

This year, though, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., the Johnston, Iowa-based subsidiary of DuPont, plans to increase the number of its acres used for seed production by two-thirds and hire 30,000 young people to detassel its corn seed production on those fields this summer, said Bill Tomlinson, director of North American corn operations.

That's almost twice as many young people as Pioneer usually hires for a summer work force.

"We haven't hired this many summer workers for many years," said Bill Tomlinson, director of North American corn operations for Pioneer Hi-Bred. "Detasseling is a challenging job, but it provides a unique opportunity over the period of a few weeks for young people to earn an excellent income, work with their friends and develop a strong work ethic."

Seed corn companies anticipate that they'll see increased demand for next year's hybrid or cross-breed corn because of high prices caused by ethanol production. Detasseling the corn enables cross-pollination to occur.

Lisa Dry, vice president of public affairs at the American Seed Trade Association in Alexandria, Va., said association members describe detasseling as a "rite of passage" for many young people in Iowa and other Midwestern states.

Andrew Flynn, 18, of Bettendorf, Iowa, has detasseled corn for Pioneer for the past four years and has signed up for this summer.

"It's really good money," Flynn said. "Last year, I made about $600 for 10 or 11 days work. I'm saving it for college."

Allison Larson, communications manager for supply management at Pioneer, said detasselers hired by Pioneer usually make about a dollar an hour more than the minimum wage. In Iowa, minimum wage is $6.20 an hour.

Jason Morehouse, production manager for Beck's Superior Hybrids of Atlanta, Ind., said the company plans to increase its seed corn production this summer by about 40 percent. Contractors who hire migrant workers detassel some of its seed corn but the company also hires young people from the area, Morehouse said.

"As a company, we've taken the stance that we want to support our community by giving local young folks a chance to earn some money," he said.

In addition to Iowa, Pioneer will hire detasselers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas and Washington, and in Ontario, Canada.

It's not easy work. Detasselers are issued safety glasses and gloves. Water coolers and portable toilets are provided in the field.

"It takes concentration picking out what to pull," Flynn said.

Detasseling season usually runs from late June or early July through the early or middle part of August, Larson said, although it can vary because of weather.

Detasselers are driven to the seed fields by a bus that picks them up at 6:30 a.m. and they usually arrive at the field by 7:15 a.m., Flynn said

"You get done about 3 p.m., so you can go hang out with your friends," Flynn said.