Cash crop: Monroe farmer sells corn to fund youth football, cheerleading

There’s a corn field in the distance separating Monroe farmer Michael Majors home from his old, beloved Monroe High School.

But this summer Majors and his brothers came up with a novel way of turning some of their farm’s corn crop into a bridge of generosity, closing that gap and helping the football program he once starred in.

The family farm business designated five acres of sweet corn for sale with the money going to the local schools.

Their roadside stand sale of the harvest during late summer raised $20,000 for Monroe Schools and community youth football, cheerleading and high school football program.

The former Monroe High School football star, Majors played linebacker on the 2006 Hornets team that made it to the state’s semi-finals, is pleased with the first-time experiment and plans to devote more corn crop acreage next year for the cause.

“The Monroe football program has been a big part of our family,” said Majors. “So we decided to start giving back to the school community.”

“We wanted to be good neighbors and continue to be good neighbors in the community,” he said pausing from his workday on the high-profile farm just across Ohio 63 in Monroe, about a quarter mile from the school system’s central campus for grades 4-12.

“And we had a very good turn out with the community and everybody showed up,” he said of the roadside sweet corn stand.

“We had multiple days where we sold out of corn and had to go back … and pick more.”

Monroe High School football Coach Bob Mullins said he and other supporters of the schools are grateful for the unique — and literally raised from the ground up — financial crop shared by the Majors family.

“The Majors farm has been staple in the Monroe community and all of the Majors’ kids have come through Monroe (schools) and there is a long history there. And it means a lot that Monroe High School produced those type of people and that they want to give back to our community in that way,” said Mullins.

The Majors “are home grown and they are Monroe people (with) a family run business that wants to do something for kids and it’s really special.”

Monroe Superintendent Robert Buskirk echoed his coach, saying: “We are grateful for the level of support we receive from our local business partners and especially thankful for this contribution from the Majors family.”

“As Monroe alumni, they are always looking for ways to give back to the school community and continue to be strong supporters of our students and staff. We greatly appreciate their donation to our high school and youth football programs and look forward to putting it to good use,” said Buskirk.

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