A corn harvester is a machine used on farms to harvest

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, stripping the stalks about one foot from the ground shooting the stalks through the header to the ground. The corn is stripped from its stalk and then moves through the header to the intake

conveyor belt A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to ...

. From there it goes up the conveying system through a fan system, separating the remaining stalks from the

ears An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists o ...

. The stalks blow out the fan duct into the field while the ears drop onto another conveyor belt. The ears ride the belt and drop into a large moving bucket. This method is done with both fresh corn and seed corn. The first mechanical corn harvester was developed in 1930 by Gleaner Harvester Combine Corporation of Independence, Missouri. The unit was pulled by a tractor with the unit on the left side."Harvester Cuts Corn, Shells It, Cleans It and Bins It"
''Popular Mechanics'', November 1930.

References

{{Farming-stub Harvesters