DELPHIA COUNTY — After spending three growing seasons speaking gently to his cornfield every morning, farmer Roy Tillerman announced this week that his 40-acre plot of maize now responds to individual names, a breakthrough he says has made harvest ‘basically impossible on a moral level.’
Tillerman, 54, began the naming project in 2022 as what he called ‘a fun little experiment to pass the time during irrigation.’ He has since named all 30,000 stalks, with favorites including Gerald, Cornelius Jr., and a particularly tall stalk he refers to only as ‘The Colonel.’ According to Tillerman, the corn now visibly leans toward him when he approaches with the feed truck, though local agricultural extension agents describe this as ‘wind.’
The farm’s financial situation has grown dire, as Tillerman has instead pivoted to selling handmade birthday cards on behalf of his crop and offering guided emotional-support tours through the field for $12 a head. ‘People come out here, they meet Gerald, they cry a little, they leave changed,’ Tillerman said. ‘You can’t put a price on that. Well, apparently you can, it’s $12.’
Neighboring farmer Denise Okafor, who grows soybeans across the road, expressed concern that Tillerman’s methods could spread. ‘He asked if he could borrow my tractor to give Cornelius Jr. ‘more room to grow emotionally,” Okafor said. ‘I said no. I have a business to run. My beans do not have names. My beans do not need names.’
Despite mounting debt and a silo now used exclusively for storing greeting cards, Tillerman remains optimistic. ‘Sure, the bank called again,’ he said, patting a nearby stalk affectionately. ‘But you should see the look on Gerald’s face when I water him. That’s not nothing.’
