CURRENT HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm (last tractor cart to farms leaves at 2:30)
October is a month full of harvests! Harvesting is when farmers pick or cut the crops in their field and use the plants for food or other things. Many Iowa farmers are busy right now harvesting corn–for animals to eat and for people to eat.
At Living History Farms, we also have a special type of corn that is not for eating at all! Instead, it is harvested to make brooms! Brooms are made from a plant called broomcorn. Broomcorn is a type of sorghum plant. It is different from the corn that people and animals eat. This “corn” does not have ears filled with kernels. Instead it grows swishy tassels at the very top! These long tassels are what broom makers use to make brooms.
The seeds of the plant are very small. Farmers plant broomcorn sometime between the middle of May and the middle of June. Farmers plant the seeds 2 inches apart in rows that are 28 inches to 48 inches apart.
Broom corn plants grow slowly at first, but after they are a foot tall they grow very rapidly. There are many varieties of broom corn, from dwarf types that grow short to really tall types.
Farmers harvest the broom corn based on when they feel it has the best “brush” or tassel for making brooms. Some farmers feel the best brush is harvested when the plant is in flower, or at most when the seed is only slightly formed. At Living History Farms, we usually harvest the plant in the middle of October when it looks like this.
When the farmer feels the broom corn is ready, the plant is tabled. Our farmers walk through the corn patch and bend the stalk over like this.
Tabling is when the stalks of the plant are bent over, about 30” from the ground, towards the next row in a diagonal direction. As the stalks are bent over the next row it creates the look of a table top in the field. Doing this allows the tassels to stay straight as they continue to lengthen.
When it is time to bring the tassels out of the field, the tassels are cut off with about 8” of stalk on them. The farmer then takes the tassels to a building that has slotted shelves to place the tassels on. These shelves allow the tassels to completely dry in a flat position. The seeds are then combed off the tassels and the tassels taken apart in order to separate the fibers by length. The sorted tassels are then placed into bundles and the different length bundles are sold to broom making factories. The factories then use the broomcorn to make different styles of brooms to be sold at stores. At Living History Farms, our broom corn factory still makes brooms using machines over one hundred years old!
Find more posts on the LHF Kids Blog
Categories
11121 HICKMAN, URBANDALE • 515-278-5286
— THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 PREMIER PARTNERS —
Official Modern Agricultural Equipment Partner
What type of tool/ machinery is used to remove the seed from broomcorn?
I am the care giver of an older couple. As they tell me stories of them growing up, the wife said her and her siblins would have to dress completely covered; head to toe because when the would harvest the broom corn it would leave a terrible burning on their skin. The wife hated that part of farming.
Hi,
I’m looking for broom corn to purchase and wonder if you ever have any for sale or maybe know of someone that does.
Thank you
Rich King
We do not have any broom corn for sale.
I bought one a few days ago from Hamel Brooms in St. Jacob’s, Ontario. They have a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hamelbrooms/. Not sure if they ship their brooms but they might. I bought the all-purpose broom which is perfect for outdoor as well as in-door work. After enduring more expensive brooms from TSC and Canadian Tire that constantly shed from Day 1, I can’t tell you what a relief and a joy it is to have a broom that works. Although it’s cut the time I spent sweeping up grass clippings, the first time I used it I found myself sweeping more than the sidewalk in front of my house … just so I could continue using it. The all-purpose broom does not have the metal brace but the heavy duty one does. Because of my experience with poor quality brooms I thought wanted the heavy duty one but it’s quite stiff and would be a real work out for the arms and back to use it. Anything you buy from them is going to reflect good old fashioned craftmanship.
Where are you?
Many seed outlets aavailable – a quick Google search “broomcorn seed” will provide options with possibly local results. Perhaps include “sorghum” in the search field and sift from there… I recommend Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, located in Virginia offering organic and heirloom; J.L. Hudson, Seedsman in No Calif.; Truelove Seed based in Philadelphia; the list goes on.
Fascinating teaching on how broom corn is grown and harvested. Thanks!neth
Growing broomcorn for the first time and need to know what indications let me know when to table
Hi Danielle, I’d check out the Yahoo group forum that was suggested by a previous commenter: groups.yahoo.com/group/broommakers/ or stop in to visit Living History Farms’ Broom Shop and our historic interpreters can share more about how brooms were created in the 1870s. Good luck!