Dale C. Maley: Ted Balko: Two-time national cornhusking champion

For hundreds of years, until the invention of the mechanical corn picker in the mid-1930s, corn was harvested by hand. To start harvesting, a farmer pulled a wagon to the corn field using a horse or, later, a tractor. This wagon had one side that was higher than the other side. The farmer would remove the ear of corn from the stalk and throw it at the wagon. The corn would bounce off the higher side, called the "bang board," and then fall into the wagon.

Starting in 1924 in Polk County, Iowa, an annual cornhusking contest was held to see who could harvest corn the fastest. Only 800 people attended the first national cornhusking contest in 1924. By the late 1930s, more than 100,000 people would attend these national cornhusking contests. The last competition was held in 1941 because, by the end of that year, World War II had reached the United States. The matches were not resumed after the war because mechanical corn pickers eliminated the need for hand harvesting.

The story of the Balko family began in 1871 with the birth of Adolph A. Balko in Germany. He was the son of Wilhelm Balko and Orpha R. Lelga. In 1889, when Adolph was 18 years old, he emigrated from Germany to America.

Adolph married Pauline Lietke in 1897. Pauline was 17 and Adolph was 26 when they married. The newlyweds settled on a farm in Yates Township, just west of Fairbury. Adolph and Pauline eventually had 10 children. Their farm was about one and a half miles south of Weston.

In 1905, Theodore Simon "Ted" Balko was born in Fairbury. In 1909, Adolph sold the 160-acre farm he owned in Indiana to Joseph Pilsy of Roanoke for $100 an acre. This sales amount would equal $3,120 per acre in today's dollars. By 1909, the Balko family had four children. Adolph used some of his land sales proceeds to purchase a new fine Matchless Milton piano from the Fairbury store owned by James Woods.

In 1911, Adolph decided to move his family to Bonair, Iowa. Son Ted Balko was six years old when they moved from the Fairbury area to Iowa. The family lived in Iowa for two years, then moved to Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Their new home was about 115 miles west of Minneapolis.

In 1929, Ted Balko entered his first national cornhusking contest. Ted was 24 years old the first year he joined the competition. Ted did not win the national contest but kept competing for each year the contest was held. After five years of not winning the competition, in 1934, Ted Balko won the national cornhusking contest. Ted was 29 years old when he won the national contest.

More than 75,00 people attended the 1934 national cornhusking contest. There were so many automobiles that officials sent the cars in a double line toward the contest field. Hot dog vendors did a huge business that day, and landowners charged for parking space. Many newspapers reported the event across the nation.

Ted Balko harvested 25.78 bushels of corn in 80 minutes. This pace would be equivalent to about 19 bushels per hour. Ted won $100 in cash and a gold watch. That cash prize would be equal to $2,098 in today's dollars.

Shortly after winning the national championship, The Blade ran a story about Ted Balko. When the Balko family lived in the Fairbury area, Dr. E.F. Law was their family physician. Dr. Law had a photograph of four of the Balko brothers. One of the four boys was named after the doctor.

One year after winning the national cornhusking contest, Ted Balko married Mamie Rasmussen in Minnesota. Ted was 30, and Mamie was 28 when they married. They had three children and farmed in the Redwood Falls area.

A few days after they were married, Ted and his new bride traveled from Minnesota to Attica, Indiana, to compete in the 1935 cornhusking competition. On their way to Indiana, Ted stopped in to visit Fairbury.

The Blade interviewed Ted and ran an article about his visit to Fairbury. The story noted that Ted was a typical athlete, being more than six feet tall with broad shoulders, narrow hips, bronzed, and very muscular. The article indicated that Ted had relatively large hands, but his hands were very nimble.

Ted told The Blade reporter that before a state or national cornhusking competition, he would go into the corn field every morning and afternoon and husk vigorously for one hour to keep sharp. Ted did not win the 1935 competition but kept competing each year.

In 1938, Ted's wife was expecting a child just about the time of the annual cornhusking competition. She delivered a new baby, and they named the child Richard Edward Balko. Two hours after Ted's new son was born, he left for Fort Dodge to compete in the 1938 cornhusking national competition.

Ted Balko won the national cornhusking competition for the second time in 1938. As the winner, Ted received $1,000 in cash. This prize would be equivalent to $19,943 in today's dollars.

The last national cornhusking championship was held in 1941. No contests were held during World War II. After the war, mechanical corn pickers had taken over corn harvesting, so no more national championships were held.

Mamie Balko died in 1981 at the age of 74. Ted Balko lived to be 86 years old and died in 1991. Both Ted and his wife were buried in the Redwood Falls Cemetery.

The fastest corn shuckers in the United States, such as Ted Balko, could only harvest 19 bushels of corn per hour for a brief 80-minute time period. The average farmer was satisfied to harvest nine bushels per hour on his farm. A two-row mechanical corn picker could harvest corn at an astounding rate of 300 bushels per hour. The advent of the mechanical corn picker ended the need to harvest corn by hand.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Ted Blako Dale C. Maley cornhusking national champion