A state corn husking competition will be held in Nappanee, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or the final participant completes husking, Saturday, Oct. 7. Photo from the Indiana Corn Husking Association’s Facebook page.

News Release

NAPPANEE — The Indiana Cornhusking Association, a nonprofit organization, will be hosting a state corn husking contest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. The event will be held at Reed Farms, 27615 CR 48, Nappanee.

To get to the farm, go three miles north on SR 19 from the intersection of US 6 and SR 19, to CR 48. Turn rigt and continue east to the first farm on the north side of the road.

The competition classes include:

• Boys and girls, 14 and under.
• Boys and girls youth, ages 15-20.
• Team husking, comprising of four people; handicap, any age.
• Young men and women’s, ages 21-49.
• Men and women’s open, any age.
• Men and women seniors, 50-74.
• Men and women’s golden age, 75 and over.

Participants may participate in both an individual and team contest.

The association is dedicated to the education and historical preservation of early methods of corn harvest and hand corn husking.

Prior to World War II, the American society was heavily agrarian and in the midwest, corn was the primary crop. Every year, families and neighbors would work together to harvest the corn by hand as efficiently as possible. The competitive nature of American citizens inspired competition between farmers to determine the best corn husker.

These competitions grew from local to state and quickly expanded to a National Corn Husking Competition.

People numbering in the 10s of thousands gathered to witness the competitions. The contests were as popular at that time as today’s sporting events. The winners were as well known as today’s sports athletes.

The national competition peaked in 1940 with an estimated 160,000 spectators that gathered to watch the best hand corn huskers in the nation. But, all competitions came to an abrupt halt with the start of World War II; then it was followed by the widespread use of mechanical corn pickers.

The Indian Cornhusking Association is dedicated to preserving and educating the public. Representatives of the Indiana Cornhusking Association speak and provide educational displays at schools, fairs, festivals and community events throughout the year. They also encourage participation in the annual Indiana Cornhusking Contest held in a corn field, where spectators may watch or compete for bragging wrights by hand husking corn tossed into horse-drawn wagons.

This is a family event where children and adults can relive the past and experience friendly competition.

The event is attended by farmers who husked corn as a child and enjoy sharing their memories and stories.

The national competition will be held Oct. 22 in Greenville, Ohio.

Learn more by visiting the Indiana Corn Husking Association’s Facebook page or visiting its website.

Individuals can also contact Clay Geyer, (574) 952-7197; Ted Richard (574) 223-2747; Sue Nielson, (317-431-3014; or Rolland Miller (574) 876-0367.