Not all cornhuskers wear red
By Holly Hollenbeck

The University of Nebraska's college mascot may be named after them, but cornhuskers existed in all of the Corn Belt states before World War II. They still exist thanks to nine states that have reintroduced the task as a contest--and as a reminder of our past.

The last Saturday in September is practically a holiday for Mitchel Burns. It's the one day during the year when he can get together with friends, neighbors and other Missouri citizens to husk corn--and demonstrate what rural farming was like before mechanization.

Burns feels right at home when he's telling others about the state's cornhusking past. The Brookfield, Mo., resident is a retired history teacher and counselor. Every year since 1988 he has made his way to Marshall, Mo., to compete in the state's cornhusking contest.

"Cornhusking is a part of our rural history," said Burns. "People don't have any concept of that history today. The contest helps tell that history to them when they come."

His desire to tell others about the nation's rural history has led him to take on the project of writing a book about the reintroduction of the state and national cornhusking contests in the Corn Belt.

Contest history
The history of the contests goes back to 1924 when Henry A. Wallace (son of Henry Cantwell Wallace, the founder of Wallaces Farmer magazine in Iowa) decided to get cornhusking contests started in the Corn Belt states.

The contests grew into major attractions, drawing thousands of people. Everyone wanted to see who could husk the most corn from a field in 80 minutes. Soon a national contest between 11 states started so that a national winner could be named.

The contests remained popular until World War II. "The 1941 contest was held and then Pearl Harbor was bombed a few weeks later," said Burns. "We entered World War II, and the contests ended. The mechanization that occurred during the war made hand husking obsolete."

But in 1971, Kansas extension agent, Ross Nelson, decided to bring the cornhusking contest back to his state. He thought the contest would bring more people to the city of Oakley--it did.

Eventually other states began to follow Kansas' example and reintroduced their own contests. Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio all currently hold competitions, too. Missouri was one of the last states to reintroduce the contest in 1983. "The crowds are smaller now," said Burns. "But the turnouts are still good. Around 1,000 people attend the Missouri contest every year."

Burns' book, The National, highlights the years 1971 to 1999.

Contest rules
The current objectives of the state and national contests are similar. Contestants must husk the most corn from a single row of standing corn in a field and throw it into a horse-drawn wagon.

However, there are catches. While the contestant is husking, a gleaner gathers corn that the husker leaves behind. Deductions are made for missed corn.

Deductions are also made for wagons that have a lot of debris, just like farmers are docked today when they bring in dirty corn to the elevator.

There are various classes for contestants. A rookie class is open to contestants who are husking for the first time. Other classes include a senior division, kids division and a 21 to 50 division. But all of the serious huskers enter the open division. It's the one in which huskers compete for the state championship and the privilege to husk in the national competition.

"The top three men and the top three women get to represent the state at the national contest," said Burns. "Women have been competing in the national contest since 1979, and there's lots of stiff competition in both classes."

Men in the open class husk for 30 minutes; women husk for 20 minutes. "It's best to find a pace and rhythm that work best for you so that you can husk the most and still not make mistakes. It's best to stay at that pace the whole way through," said Burns. "Otherwise you'll get tired before the end of the race."

Missouri's state competition is held every year in Marshall, Mo., at the Saline County Fairgrounds, along with a parade, carnival, rodeo and craft fair. "It's a nice site to hold the competition because it's practically in the middle of the state," said Burns.

His success
Burns has been hooked on the cornhusking contest since he won the rookie division in 1988. He found out about the contest from a radio ad and invited his dad to attend. They decided to make the 60-mile trip to see what the contest was all about. Burns ended up entering the rookie contest and winning.

He worked through the various divisions and eventually entered the open competition, winning the Missouri title in 1994. He took third in the national competition. Since then he has placed in the top three at state most years and has placed in the top five at the national level several times.

Burns said he really doesn't have any tricks to the trade. He does admit to practicing. He husks some of the corn grown on the 1,100-acre farm he and his dad farm together. "We have a wagon, so I usually go to the field and work at husking the corn for a couple of hours for practice," he said. "But I don't take it [the contests] too seriously. I just like to husk and try to do well."

But even more important than winning for him is passing on the history of early cornhuskers and rural life. "Cornhusking was not a sport back then," he said. "It was a multiple week job that was a part of farm life. It was only made into a contest when Wallace put rules and a watch to it. Then it became a sport for us. It was true, hard manual labor and a part of our great Midwestern heritage."

--Mitchel Burns' book, titled The National, will be available for sale at the Missouri cornhusking contest this fall. For more information about the book or to order the book, write to: Mitchel Burns, 21397 Hwy. M, Brookfield, MO 64628