Foley's tall corn no folly

By ANDREA FURLONG

Former corn breeder Terry Foley, Williamsburg, stands with corn stalks measuring 11 feet, six and a half inches high. Foley is growing the corn for a statewide tall corn contest.

From the roadside, at first glance it may look like Terry Foley is building a tower to Heaven. The 23-foot wire tubular frame that sits four miles east of Parnell along F52 is a unique structure in itself, but the real gem is what’s growing inside: five cornstalks — corn that Foley hopes will grow to be Iowa’s tallest corn this year.

Foley, a retired corn breed from Holden’s/Monsanto, Williamsburg, is one of an estimated 50 contestants in Iowa County participating in “Our Iowa” magazine’s tallest corn contest. The magazine’s 40,000 subscribers and customers of investment firm Edward Jones (the contest’s sponsor), were given five to six seeds each earlier this year to help get them started. Other interested individuals and parties could also acquire the official contest seeds, which are a tropical seed corn imported from Mexico and Brazil. This particular seed was chosen specifically for the contest because it “can easily grow (stalks up to) 15 feet tall,” according to Our Iowa editor Jerry Wiebel in a contest press release. With less than three months left in the contest, Foley’s stalks have surpassed half of the expected height, standing tall at 11 feet, six and a half inches. The corn of other county contestants currently measures about one fourth to one half the height of Foley’s, according to local Edward Jones financial advisor Eric Feller.

“On average what we found is in the 4 to 6 foot range,” Feller said.

Instead of planting the corn in a field, Foley planted it in a raised garden bed of spaghnum moss, rice hulls and cotton burr compost. The organic mixture, mixed by Foley himself, is free from weed seeds that are present in the earth’s soil. Foley also mixed in an organic fertilizer of 43 nutrients, including diatomaceous earth, a naturally abrasive substance made of the fossilized remains of diatoms, a hard-shelled prehistoric algae.

“It’s very sharp, so that when insects are in it (and) their bellies touch it, it cuts them and they die,” Foley explained.

The fertilizer also includes macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, along with micronutrients (substances needed for plant growth, but in smaller amounts), like magnesium or molybdenum.

“It’s kind of like vitamins for corn,” he said.

The natural insecticide and weed-free medium have allowed Foley to keep maintenance at a minimum. Other than occasional watering, Foley has not had to spend as much time with the plant as he did when it was first growing.

From the time the corn sprouted in mid-April, to when it reached five feet in early June, Foley kept the corn in a makeshift greenhouse of Saran Wrap and plastic tubing. The “greenhouse” kept the heat in and the damaging winds out. Foley attributes the fast growth rate of his stalks to these methods used during the start of its growth phase.

“Having it covered early in the season when we had all the cold nights and the windy days was a big start of it. Farmers’ (corn) was just coming out of the ground, and I had corn that was two feet tall. Normally, they like to say ‘knee-high by the Fourth of July,’ well it was knee-high by the 15th of May,” he laughed.

Once the corn was five feet tall, Foley disassembled the “greenhouse” and slipped a 23-foot tubular cage of concrete reinforcing wire over top of it, which he covers in plastic wrap to keep the wind out. However, as his corn grows taller, general maintenance provides unique challenges. Foley has been unable to protect the top few inches from the wind because he can’t reach that high.

“I used the ladder to get up to a certain point and now I need a bigger ladder,” he laughed.

While the 23-foot cage is an amusing sight, it’s necessary to support the five stalks, which grow in a loose medium that provides little root support, while allowing for maximum growth.

“That’s a big deal. Corn plants are inhibited when there’s (soil) compaction,” he said, of the soil being very “loose.”

But, while the raised garden bed method works well for a contest, Foley said it is not practical for farmers.

“It would be way too expensive for that. You would never even consider it,” he said, noting that the average raised garden bed costs about $500 to $600 to construct. An entire corn crop spanning several acres could carry a hefty price tag at that rate, he noted.

STANDING TALL, STANDING OUT

Foley’s corn is not just standing out to passersby driving on F52, it’s also standing out among the competition. “Our Iowa” magazine will feature Foley in its August/September issue as the contestant growing the “tallest stalk we know to date,” according to assistant editor Paula Wiebel.

Contest measurements will be made by Edward Jones employees Oct. 1, and submitted to “Our Iowa.” Winners are anticipated to be announced in December. Foley said he has absolutely no idea how he will use the $400 worth of pork and beef awarded as part of the grand prize, if he wins.

“I haven’t even thought about it. I’ve been more worried about doing this,” he said.

Foley said he entered the contest, with the hope of putting Iowa County on the map as record corn growers.

“How could you represent Iowa better than having Iowa County win the corn contest?” he asked.

In the even he doesn’t win, Foley is happy he reached his personal goal on the project —growing corn as high as an elephant’s eye by the Fourth of July. (Foley’s corn, measured11 feet, six and a half inches, by July 4, surpassing the height of an African elephant’s eye, which is 10 feet.)

“I thought that was neat how it rhymed. It was kind of a humorous thing that happened along the way,” Foley said.

Foley said since the corn is not intended for human consumption, he’ll likely use it for compost once the contest is over.

Though Foley has done the majority of work growing his corn, he also had help from his dad, as well as his friend, Chris Eichhorn. Foley worked 25 years as a corn breeder for Holden’s/Monsanto, Williamsburg. After retiring in 2007, he was recognized for outstanding achievements in corn breeding with the “Queeny Award” from Monsanto.

UPDATED July 9, 2009 12:21 PM