This Dekalb sign shows a stylized ear of corn with wings. Intended to convince other farmers to switch to Dekalb hybrid seed, these signs were placed next to roads in fields planted with Dekalb seed transforming the field into a demonstration testimonial. The sign was collected from the Queen Anne Grain Company in Queen Anne, MD around 1980.
According to Dekalb historian Emerson Wells the sign was made in 1977 by Display Craft in Rockford IL. That is the year they bought out Arlie Pierce from Sycamore IL who had made all the signs up to that point. Arlie had always put the initials AP somewhere on signs. Display Craft continued that practice by putting DC under the letter A. That clearly shows. They continued making the signs until 1989. However after 1977 they also put a date with their initials. This sign has no date so it was made in '77.
Beginning in the 1930s Dekalb hybrid corn was advertised as the mortgage lifter (because of its productivity). Commercial hybrid seed was a dramatic change in farming practice as farmers moved away from open pollinated cultivars and seed saving to inbred genetic lines and purchased seed.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.