At only fifteen years old, Blake Kerns rented a two acres of land and started his own sweet corn stand. Now with 2,000 acres of field corn and soybeans and over 60 acres of produce, Blake is the owner of Kerns Homegrown.
In 1999, fifteen year-old Blake Kerns noticed that the only sweet corn stand located in the Oelwin city limits came all the way from Minnesota. After doing some research on corn stands and sales, Kerns began toying with the idea of starting his own stand. Since he was closer to town, Kerns figured out that he could undercut the competitor stands' costs and offer a better, more personal service to locals.
With a sprouting idea and the determination to provide fresher produce, Kerns rented two acres of abandoned cropland, rented equipment, and started a corn stand.
By attending the University of Iowa, Blake was able to continue his produce business and receive first-class education in entrepreneurship.
"When I was starting out I was forced to do a lot of the manual labor myself. Working 110 hours a week during the summer season was not uncommon," says Blake. Now with 2,000 acres of field corn and soybeans and over 60 acres of produce, Blake is the owner of Kerns Homegrown. He says his role in business has changed greatly.
"I no longer pick all the corn myself! I spend much of my time on logistics, labor, sales, and trying to increase automation." Kerns Homegrown products are sold in over 50 grocery stores in Iowa and at festivals, schools, and other retail locations.