Corn Sheller an Important Tool on the Farm

By Renae B. Vander Schaaf
Published on April 3, 2017
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Fine originals like this Marseilles Diamond sheller are rare finds.
Fine originals like this Marseilles Diamond sheller are rare finds.
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Jake’s John Deere No. 1A sheller.
Jake’s John Deere No. 1A sheller.
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An original John Deere No. 1B sheller in Jake’s collection.
An original John Deere No. 1B sheller in Jake’s collection.
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Jake Rens.
Jake Rens.
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This sheller was manufactured by New Idea Mfg. Co.
This sheller was manufactured by New Idea Mfg. Co.
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Jake’s varied collection includes early John Deere plows like these, as well as antique tools and memorabilia.
Jake’s varied collection includes early John Deere plows like these, as well as antique tools and memorabilia.
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Sharon Rens will give spinning wheel demonstrations during an open house in July.
Sharon Rens will give spinning wheel demonstrations during an open house in July.
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Teeth inside a sheller knock kernels of corn loose from the ear.
Teeth inside a sheller knock kernels of corn loose from the ear.
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Part of Jake Rens’ tractor display.
Part of Jake Rens’ tractor display.

Jake Rens has a great interest in preserving the history of agriculture. Although his life’s work took him away from the farm where he was raised, he never really left the farm. He began collecting antique farm relics decades ago, always looking for the uncommon item.

“Corn shellers caught my attention,” he says. “They were an important tool on any farm, big or small. Before the corn sheller, farm families manually forced the dried corn off the cob to feed their chickens and other livestock. Shelled corn, the main ingredient in cornbread, was also consumed by farm families.”

Although the invention of the corn sheller saved a lot of hand labor on the farm, shelling corn remained a manual process. To use a hand-crank sheller, an ear of corn is fed into the device. The ear is caught by the mechanism’s teeth and the kernels are separated from the cob. The kernels fall into a basket below and the cobs to the floor, to be used as fodder or fuel for the kitchen’s cook stove.

As the farmer used corn, he was constantly analyzing the ear. If one looked exceptionally good, it was set aside for next year’s crop. Later, it too made its way through the sheller. Open-pollinated corn made it possible for the farmer to be his own seed supplier.

As the corn sheller evolved, a tipper was added to the unit. Kernels on the end of the ear are less desirable for planting purposes; the tipper was used to collect those, which were set those aside as feed for fowl or livestock.

An early entrant in the market

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