Going out to Fresno State’s Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market for university raised sweet corn is a four-decade-old tradition.
Well, guess how many ears the market sold over the weekend?
Record-Setting Opening Weekend
The university pegged the number at 80,766 — the most ever for an opening weekend and more than 2,000 ears better than 2017’s record-setting debut.
For the record, this year’s total includes 5,671 ears sold during a “soft launch” Thursday.
Betsy Juergens was first in line Friday. She showed up at 4:30 a.m. — well before the market’s 7 a.m. opening.
It’s 50 Cents an Ear While Supplies Last
Corn will be sold at 50 cents per ear throughout the summer.
Fresno State corn headed to the market. (Fresno State News Photo)
“This is an exciting time every year for the Gibson Farm Market and the Central Valley,” said David Sieperda, campus farm manager. “The cold, late winter weather pushed the growing season back a few weeks, but we should now be well stocked through August if not longer for our loyal customers. Our vegetable crop unit is the perfect example of how special our campus farm is by showcasing an array of high-quality and fresh products at the farm market, while also teaching our students about modern agricultural production methods.”
And Now the Answer
The sweet corn was first grown on campus fields in 1981 and initially sold to the public in 1982. Last year, sweet-corn loving customers bought more than 800,000 ears.
Now the answer to the question in the headline: On opening weekend, the market sold 49,486 ears of yellow and 31,280 ears of white.