1922 First Paying Member
The first paying member of the Illinois Crop Improvement Association was “L. K. Ellsberry.” A.L. Lang, the author of Illinois Crop’s 50-year history may have assumed that Ellsberry’s name would forever stir a memory in the minds of its readers. But who was Lloyd Ellsberry of Mason County, Illinois?
In the early days of the seed corn business, companies such as W. T. Ainsworth and G. D. Sutton hand-picked and rack-dried ears of corn. By 1922, W. T. Ainsworth & Sons had “14 years of successful growth.” In this pre-hybrid era, seed corn catalogs promoted the ability “to supply seed from the highest yielding strains of the best varieties.” Guarantees of “germination 95 percent or better” allowed the customer 12 days to test and return the seed if unsatisfied.
A fourth-generation Illinois seedsman, Tom Ainsworth recalls the stories of friendship and shared business interests of G. D. Sutton and W. T. Ainsworth. It was mainly through the ability of Mason City’s pioneers in the seed corn industry that modern drying and processing methods have developed. Adding to the process of rack-dried ears, forced-air driers in the 1930s were an early glimpse of modern seed corn production. While others may now claim the title “seed corn capital of the world,” Mason City, Illinois, was likely the first. According to Mason City’s 125-year history, the seed corn business was built on trial and error, experienced unprecedented growth, and generated tremendous changes in agriculture.
When Mr. Sutton became interested in other ventures, he delegated a large share of his company management to Lloyd G. Ellsberry. Mr. Ellsberry appeared to be a proactive community member. He was also the chairman of a committee that celebrated the opening of 81 miles of hard road between Peoria and Springfield in 1920. He also served on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. We can assume Lloyd’s motivation for joining Illinois Crop Improvement was work-related, but his feelings about the new association are forever his own.
