The annual call for detasselers has been issued for about 50 years, and nobody thus far has perfected a mechanical replacement for the human touch. Our goal is to teach them to be self-motivated and to do good work whether we're watching them or not. The work does get hard after a while, but I keep going. I think it's good experience being able to tolerate the elements. Shane Rusk, another West Lafayette student and second-time detasseler, thinks tolerating the elements is a great way to get in shape even though the physical labor does have its drawbacks.
People get paper cuts and dehydrated sometimes, and the sun really gets hot.
But this physical labor is great because it helps me get back in shape in time for football season. Vicky Simmerman-Needham, Ben's mother, says the experience teaches perseverance. It's also very rewarding. There are three buses that take the students to the fields, she says. First-time corn detasselers get on the third bus, then when they become more experienced, they move up to the second bus and so on.