Farmer Steve Adler's Latest Corn Update

Every now and then, the Not A Cornfield Blog checks in with Farmer Steve Adler, the art project's chief seed breeder and agronomist, for an update.

From Wednesday, November 2, here's the collected latest words from Farmer Steve:

"We’re in the drying phases of the corn. The corn is starting to harden up and looking good. The rain that we had two weeks ago was not good for us -- it put a lot of moisture up in the corn, so it’s going to take a lot longer to dry down because the temperstaures aren’t quite hot enough in October and November.

"Other than that, hey, twelve-foot corn in downtown L.A. is so amazing, I can hardly believe it. But since it’s there, it just goes to show that anything is possible.

"[The site has] worms like crazy out there now. "This is how corn crops used to be, before the 1940s. There were no pesticides. The pesticides came around due to the research from the War….because all pesticides are nerve agents.

“It’s done growing. The corn [ears] itself is still growing. The corn plant, that’s as far as it will go, once it flowered out, it won’t grow any taller. Actually, we’re starting to get two ears, where we usually only get one.”

La Ofrenda - Day of the Dead Now Open For Public Viewing, Participation

Not A Cornfield's La Ofrenda - Day of the Dead is now open for all interested members of the general public to actively participate in and/or view.*

If you wish, bring a photo of the deceased person whom you would like to honor and remember, along with a few flowers or any small item that symbolizes what that person was passionate about during their journey here on Mother Earth. A space will be available for your loved one to be incorporated into this community offering.

El Regalo de la Ofrenda is our way of giving thanks and honoring the ancestors of this land. The Not A Cornfield Ofrenda will be open to the public November 2-5 daily from 6am until 8pm. On Sunday, November 6, a culmination ceremony will occur at 10am.

For more photos, follow this link


*UPDATE: Consistent with the idea of the cycle of life and death, the La Ofrenda festivites have ended and the remains of the festivities are being sorted for the project archive as well as appropriate disposal. If you left any personal items at Not A Cornfield and would like to retrieve them, they are currently being stored on the North End, in the administrative trailer.