All about corn on the cob

What: Corn contest's Centennial Celebration, featuring 100 free servings of corn bread.

When: 11 a.m. Thursday

Where: Agriculture Horticulture Building, field crops area.

The special ingredient: Bushels of contest ears that weren't pretty enough to earn a ribbon were sent off to a farm in Lamberton, Minn., last week and ground into cornmeal.

What makes a champion ear of corn? It's more than meets an elephant's eye.

Straight rows: Minnesota corn grows in rows of 14, 16 or 18 (in Illinois, you might get 20 or 22). Clean, straight rows are a sign of beauty.

No nubs: Kernels should extend to the tip of the ear and trim out the bottom. When the cob is exposed, it can be a sign of a soil deficiency.

Flush with kernels: The corn tassels drop pollen down the hollow strands of silk, which then pollinates each kernel individually. A missing kernel means it didn't get pollinated.

Size: It's usually the medium-size ears, not large ones, that earn ribbons. A medium ear indicates a better yield.