ROCHELLE — Seebach’s Sweet Corn kicked off its 2024 season of sales at 11594 E. Kyte Road in Flagg Center last week.
The Seebach family has grown and sold sweet corn at the location for over 40 years. The tradition of selling sweet corn was started by the late Jerry Seebach, and it has since been carried on by his sons, Jeff and Scott, their stepmother, Christy and other family members and seasonal help.
Seebach's Sweet Corn is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The stand can be reached by phone with questions about daily availability, which is recommended, especially for customers coming from out of town, at 815-213-5229. Available corn is left over at the stand after hours and can be purchased via a money drop box at the stand. If customers would like to buy more than four dozen ears, they're asked to call ahead. The stand takes cash or checks for payment.
“Things have gone pretty well so far this year,” Jeff Seebach said. “We've gotten the rain and moisture we've needed. At times it was dry, but for the most part the soil has been staying pretty wet. The crop likes that and it grabs that moisture. It's been growing fast. I think a lot of other plants and vegetables have been growing fast too. Within the last week or two with the humidity, sun and rain, it just turned really fast.”
Jeff Seebach said the first sweet corn crop of the season arrived about a week early this year. He doesn’t recall the last time the crop was ready as early as July 10, but said his dad kept records of it being ready on July 11 or 12 in 2008.
Seebach’s Sweet Corn plans to have sweet corn on hand to sell at least until around Labor Day.
“I think it's going to be a very fast year,” Jeff Seebach said July 12. “This is only our second day selling. Sales have been steady. We expect it to pick up this weekend. We don't advertise outside of our signs and a couple posts on Facebook. I think word will start getting around.”
Last year, the Seebachs battled a dry growing season and saw lower-than-usual yields. The same can’t be said for this year.
“This year we have a pretty good yield,” Jeff Seebach said. “All the plants had really good ears of corn on them. Last year about every third plant had a decent ear on it. It's really good this year. It was a struggle last year with demand and trying to meet it. I don't think we'll have that problem this year. I was happy to see the rain this year. The snow we got in the winter helped too. Having this wet of a summer has been good after the last few years have been dry.”
Jeff Seebach thanked his family and seasonal helpers Andy Buskohl and Gage White for their work so far this season. After growing up helping with the sweet corn operation and doing it for so many years, it’s started to seem less like work for him. He’s learned tricks of the trade over the years and work includes picking by hand, spraying for Japanese beetles and installing an electric fence to keep animals out.
“We do a lot more manual work than other growers like us do,” Jeff Seebach said. “It's rewarding to do this for another year. We like seeing the people come out and we like to provide a good product for them. It's the same with pumpkins in the fall. We enjoy seeing the people come out, and as long as they keep supporting us, we'll keep doing it.”
