DUANE SHERRILLEditor

The Rhea brothers are cashing in on a popular cash crop this summer as the fruits of their labor are paying dividends with tall stalks of sweet corn they are harvesting by the pickup truck load.

“It’s very popular,” Alex Rhea said as he and his brother Grant were selling their truck load at the Food Fair outside Trinity Lutheran Church Wednesday. “In the past two weeks we have sold 1,800 dozen.”

The Rhea brothers (Alex and Grant) sell their locally sourced product at farmer’s markets as well as near the Belmont Convenience Center, located at 4120 New Tullahoma Highway in Manchester.

They raise the corn on the family farm, planting about two and a half acres.

“This is the second planting,” Alex said, noting the weather has been great for corn. “We’ve been getting the right amount of rain at the right time.”

They grow Obsession II, which is a sweeter version of peaches and crème.

This is the Rhea’s first year planting their acreage of corn. Last year they got 86 dozen off of about 10 rows.

“We was pretty tickled about that,” Alex said. “Then some folks said ‘this is the best corn we’ve ever had’ so that inspired us to do a bigger thing of it.”

The brothers charge $5 for a dozen ear. “But I’ve heard of some folks paying $15 for a dozen,” he noted. “We do it for $5 because it’s easier to calculate and you don’t have to deal with all the $1 bills.”

The Rheas space out their planting so they are constantly harvesting during the summer months, with one batch ready as soon as the one before is harvested.