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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Marie Kamphefner <kampy AT grm.net>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: Sweet corn pickin
- Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2001 11:01:43 -0600
Regard to the list:
We have taken over the large canvas bags that the kids used to deliver papers with to pick corn. Sling the strap over your shoulder, pick the bag full, then dump it into a wagon parked nearby.
When I was a kid, picking corn with my family, one person would drive the tractor with a wagon and rest of us would pick and throw the ears into the wagon. We took turns driving the tractor. The tractor went along the edge of the field, then moved over the 4 or 5 rows that had been picked and so on. Does this make sense?
Marie in Missouri
At 09:15 AM 02/09/2001 -0600, you wrote:
This is a topic that interests me as well. There are some Amish that grow
for my wholesaler. They use a sled that fits between the rows and one mule.
They dump the sled at the end of the row and have the kids load it on a
wagon.
For a one man operation I don't use any thing to carry it in. Keep your
rows farily short. I carry it in my left arm and pick with my right. I
pick 25 ears at once and carry it back to the wagon. I think it is much
more work wrestling around baskes etc.
For those bigger jobs,I think I will rig up a picking cart this year. I
have an old manure
spreader (well cleaned of course), that I will pull behind the tractor. I'm
going to weld a bar with a seat on it on each side of the spreader so two
or three people can sit, pick and toss it in the spreader. The rows between
the tires concern me. I haven't decided if I can extend the spreader
tounge, so the corn pops back up from under the tractor before it goes under
the spreader. It will take some fiddlin'. I might be able to use a forecart
on the spreader and an extension off the lift arms of the tractor. I'm not
sure. Using a 3point hitch means using the big tractor and I would rather
use my old Farmall, it has higher clearance. Another alternative would be
to weld a seat to the front end loader for the middle rows, that might work
well. I plant Ambrosia which is short enough to drive over all season long
with out hurting anything. I doubt if tractor picking would work with some
of the taller varieties. I'd sure love to see other peoples suggestions
too. Getting that corn picked is a chore.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Meyer" <rhmeyer1 AT facstaff.wisc.edu>
To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 4:24 PM
Subject: Re: website
> Anyone wanting really, specific information, just drop me a line. I've
> worked with the project from the start. Our funding all comes from non-ag
> sources at the moment (the CDC's National Institute for Occupational
Safety
> and Health). We should be adding additional tip sheets later this spring
> to both the vegetable growers and berry growers pages.
>
> One question that came to me from a small-scale sweet corn grower the
other
> day relates to any decent tool, or technique for harvesting (one-person
> crew) and carrying sweet corn. Does anyone have a tool or technique to
> share? Mostly it seems folks are carrying bags or bushels into the field
> and filling and carrying them as they go.
>
>
---
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-
Re: Sweet corn pickin,
Marie Kamphefner, 02/09/2001
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: Sweet corn pickin, Adriana Gutierrez, 02/09/2001
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