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Teens grow roadside corn stand businessGRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP)--Brothers Aaron and Erik Bratager have been growing and selling sweet corn at a roadside stand near Grand Forks for seven years. The teens lure customers to their stand with signs that read in a series like the old Burma-Shave roadside advertisements. "Moisten Lips ... Dip in Butter ... Enjoy R Corn ... Like No Other ... Erik & Aaron's Sweet Corn." Erik, 17, and Aaron, 15, say they will earn about $9,000 this summer, after expenses. The sweet-corn entrepreneurs have grown their business over the years. In 2002, when they were 10 and 8, they grossed $1,700. "We thought it would be a good way for them to make some spending money, to save for college and would be a good experience, to learn the value of a dollar," said David Bratager, the boys' father. "It's been fun," Erik said. The boys live on a farmstead west of Grand Forks but they don't consider themselves farmers. Their father is an electrician, and their mother, Deb, is an art teacher. The boys say their father helps with planting but they do the rest. "We hoe the weeds. We spray. We pick," Erik said. And the boys do most of the selling. Their parents pitch in at the stand if they have school or sports activities. The first two years, their 3-acre field was filled with quackgrass. It was too wet to cultivate. They ruined a lawnmower the first year mowing between the rows. They grow and sell two varieties: Northern Extra Sweet, which matures early and is ready by late July or early August, and Peaches and Cream, which matures a bit later. The selling season lasts about a month. They pick the corn in the morning or after school and sell from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. One of the brothers often has to go back and pick more during the early evening, to keep up with demand. They average 150 dozen ears a day, selling it for $5 a dozen. Erik and Aaron have raised their prices, to match the fresh sweet corn market in the area. "We watch what other vendors are doing, and we watch the stores, too," Erik said. The brothers said they will be selling corn next year. "I look forward to it every year," Erik said. "This is my only job. Every year, it's been really good being outside, earning money and keeping in shape." 9/15/08 Date: 9/9/08
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