Detasseling Starts Today
- Thread starter Cycofan1
- Start date
One of the best jobs I ever had. Contracted our own acres one summer, and me and friend ended up making $41 an hour, tax free! Only downsides were corn rash, the heat, and dreaming about corn all night. I wish Engineering paid that well. :smile:
At least its relatively cool this year for the detasselers.
I seem to remember every year I did it that it was like 95 degrees with 90% humidity.
And we walked mile rows,uphill.Both ways.
We never took breaks.
Kids these days have it so easy.
:wink:
I seem to remember every year I did it that it was like 95 degrees with 90% humidity.
And we walked mile rows,uphill.Both ways.
We never took breaks.
Kids these days have it so easy.
:wink:
That is because the "checkers" who worked for the seed corn company checked your rows and found too many tassles un-pulled.
My Dads had a large crew in NW Iowa for about 30 years. This year he had over 660 kids sign up. They have been going for about a week an a half and there probably down to about 300 kids. I went home last weekend because he needed a bus driver and decided that Im probably going to hang up my detassling career.
But, my kids will all detassel. It's kind of a right of passage in our family.
But, my kids will all detassel. It's kind of a right of passage in our family.
I detasseled for two years when I was in high school, definately brutal work but made nice money, I would have worked probably worked a third year but like the fourth day into my second year of detasseling I got real drunk the night before and had a bad case of the nasty beer S**ts, so I brought a roll of toilet paper and carried it with me all day and when I had to go, I’d squat right there in the middle of the field and let her rip, that happened quite a bit that day. Anyway so I end up being one of the last ones done that day (and I was usually one of the first) so our “boss” thought for sure I had to have been screwing around because it took me so long, so to make me look like an idiot he decides hes going to talk a portion of my row and for every tassle he pulled out, that’s how many hours I would have to sit on the bus and not get paid for the next day. So he goes out a little ways and then he yells, stomps back and fires me on the spot, it was hilarious because he had a pile of S**t on the bottom of his boot with toilet paper hanging from it, everyone laughed and my father was p****d.
we go by "Contract Inspectors" ...
I remember carrying jugs of water behind my folks when I was just a little guy. Detasseled for a lot of years - 54 acres between 5 of us one year.
As a senior in HS as I was signing up for acres they asked me to be apply for the contract inspector job. Its was a good gig - drive around the countryside, count a few tassels, have "lemonade" with the migrant workers, "inspect" the local dance team's acres every other hour, **** people off by telling them they have to go a 4th time over on Sunday afternoon.... good times.
Thank goodness for small grains, silage corn, sunflowers, and round bales...never had to detassel...
My sisters and I all had to detassel at least one year. I did mine the summer before my senior year of high school.
Honestly, I didn't mind it (or I don't have bad memories of it at least). It was mindless work for the most part and our entire crew was made of friends from high school, so we joked around all day. Definitely good money.
Honestly, I didn't mind it (or I don't have bad memories of it at least). It was mindless work for the most part and our entire crew was made of friends from high school, so we joked around all day. Definitely good money.
BTW ... anyone that detassles on one of those child-labor crews is getting robbed blind by bus-owning-********.
They could make so much more for the same amount of work by getting their own contract acres.
They could make so much more for the same amount of work by getting their own contract acres.
This is true.
I remember doing one-row at a time on those crews when I was a kid and making just over minimum wage.
When we did our own acres, it was Double-rowing it on 1st Pull, and a block a person the 2nd time through. Never had to go a 3rd time, got all the acres at the end of the year cause only 3 crews total never failed a check. Great money for a 3 week job.
On contract the worst we ever did in 8-10 years of work was $11/hr. That was for some wheel-pull stuff they went into too early and spiked everything and it was a really muddy crappy field.
We would average ~ $15 - 17 / hr on contract. This was 15 years ago.
I don't know what crews pay for sure - but I'm guessing its no where near that.
BTW, Just for anyone who's wondered this - they ALWAYS make you go over a second time. We would go out and count percentages for 3rd time or 4th time phone calls, but 2nd time out was automatic.
My sister and I detasseled for two seasons. It was hot, buggy, and long hours but the money you made in a short amount of time was a pile.
After the first year we bought an Apple IIe and the second year we bought a Honda three wheeler. Does that tell how old I am getting?
After the first year we bought an Apple IIe and the second year we bought a Honda three wheeler. Does that tell how old I am getting?
at least it builds character right?
try asking the guy who owns the bus how much he makes from this child-labor adventure. laughing all the way to the bank.
there would be more people that do it, but they have a conscience
