Seed company with acres to cover? We're taking contract conversations for coming seasons — start one
Green Mile Detasseling
A detasseling machine working a seed corn field at dusk

For seed companies

An American detasseling crew that still exists.

Hand crews that clean what the puller leaves are getting hard to find — and experienced, adult, American W-2 crews are nearly gone from the industry. Green Mile Detasseling is one of the ones left. If you have seed corn acres that need detasseling or roguing covered, we should talk.

The track record

Green Mile fielded crews four consecutive seasons, 2021 through 2024, in the western Iowa corn belt — under contract with Hartung Brothers (2021) and Beck's Superior Hybrids (2022–2024). Our standard book was around 300 detasseling acres a season alongside large roguing contracts — up to 1,500 roguing acres in 2024 — walked by crews of 12 to 18.

Every field we turned in was cleaned to the industry inspection standard: 99.7% tassel removal or we go back in until it passes. Four seasons, every contract completed, every field passed.

How we operate

  • Experienced adult crews. Our detasselers are 18+, many with multiple seasons in the rows — some with two decades. The crew boss has worked seed corn since 2005 and leads from inside the field, not from the truck.
  • W-2 payroll, transparent records. Crew members are employees, paid a piece rate with professional weekly payroll, full records, and end-of-season documentation packages delivered to the contracting company.
  • MSPA-compliant operation. We operate under federal farm labor contractor registration with Worker Protection Standard training, written pay disclosures, and a signed safety program — the compliance package seed companies ask for at season end, ready on day one.
  • Insured. Commercial general liability and workers' compensation coverage in place for every season we field, with certificates of insurance issued to the contracting company.
  • Self-sufficient. The crew self-transports and camps near the fields. We bring water, tools, and supervision — you bring acres.
The Green Mile crew gathered around the truck at the end of a field day
End of a field day, western Iowa.

What we can take on

Detasseling (firsts and seconds behind your puller), roguing sweeps ahead of pollination, and related hand work in seed production fields. Our home range is the Missouri River corridor of western Iowa and the surrounding corn belt; we'll consider acres anywhere a season makes sense.

Start the conversation

Detasseling contracts for 2027 get settled in January and February. If you're going to be short a crew next summer — or this season got away from you — email greenmiledetasseling@gmail.com with your rough acreage, location, and timing, and you'll hear back from Robert directly.

Email Robert about acres