Picking Corn

     Picking corn is different from chopping corn, which I'm sure you would assume. Here's how.

     The machines do have a somewhat similar shape, but their purpose is very different.

     A chopper chops, pretty straight foreword. A chopper harvests the entire corn plant. This machine (a picker) pulls the ears of corn off of the stalk. A picker only wants the kernels of the corn but must take the cob along with it.

     The ears then come up the belt in the back and are tossed into the wagon behind.

     This is popcorn that the picker is picking. Staying in the cob keeps the kernels from taking too much damage. Popcorn that is damaged might not grow next year. It also won't pop correctly, though that isn't the intended fate for this particular field.
     Once the wagon behind the picker is full it lifts up and tips so that they can dump the load into a truck. The truck will then take the ears off to have the kernels removed.
     These are some of the last seeds that will come out of Owyhee County for this year. Winter is coming, but the work isn't done yet. I'll keep you posted.