Summertime and its roguing and detasseling time for this group of Superior youth. Their day begins when they board they bus at Superior's City Park and ends when they return in the afternoon. These workers who have left the bus after a day's work are (back row, from left) Thomas Mathis, Gavin Ekstein, Josh Sporhase, Elijah Heusinkvelt, Cooper Benjamin. Christian Osweiler Linda Ostdiek, bus operator (middle row), Owen Perrie, Taygun Rothchild, Bayln Bargen, Cooper Ehlers, Ariana Heusinkvelt, Caiden Smuliins, (front row) Ben Kramp, Ryam SandersKramp, Luis Alvarado, Olivia Sloane and Luka Benjamin.
That summer rite of passage which many young people undergo in Mid West agricultural communities is well underway.
The job of roguing and detasseling seed corn fields is a thankless task. The job takes place in the heat of summer. Workers walk up and down rows of corn with little air circulation. That is just one of the trials the workers endure along with the blazing summer sun.
This summer a number of Nuckolls County youthful residents are earning money by heading to the fields.
The students in this area are employed by S & J Detasseling, a Hastings firm. The company hires students from Nuckolls, Clay and Adams counties to do the arduous work of roguing and detasseling seed corn.
When seed corn is planted, a percentage of the seed will develop undesirable characteristics. This is called rogue corn. Roguers are, you guessed it, the persons who remove the corn by digging it and chopping it up. If left in place, it could pollinate the hybrid corn.
Detasseling removes the top of the corn plant thus not allowing the plant to pollinate itself.
On Tuesday, the current season crew was roguing in fields in the Harvard and Glenvil areas. They began work June 29. Detasseling began Saturday.
The workers are paid an hourly wage. They are paid for travel time. Their pay is based on field and non-field work. Non-field work is time on the bus for reasons such as rain or lightning, break time or travel time. Field pay is actual field work such as roguing and detasseling. Workers are eligible for bonus money based on attendance. Workers who return for consecutive years see increased pay and bonus rates.
For generations, young Nuckolls County residents have earned the badge of honor toiling in the summer heat to earn money. One modern upgrade though. They don't follow the corn work with throwing square bales high up onto wagons. By the end of detasseling season in July, most of the workers view returning to school as a welcome relief.
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