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Agri-Symbol: A 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa

I’ve seen a lot of corny roadside attractions on my road trips around the United States. There was the Large Rotating Ear of Corn in Coon Rapids, Iowa. There was the Field of Giant Corn Cobs in Dublin, Ohio. And now there’s this: the Agri-Symbol, a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa.

Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions

Just off of I-80 in Iowa is Agri-Symbol Park, a small walking path and picnic area with plants and benches and a gazebo, next to a rest stop and gas station and Old Stone Arch Nature Trail. It’s here that the world’s largest corn stalk lives and, being so tall that it stretches into the sky, it’s visible from the highway and hard to miss.

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions

The giant stalk of corn symbolizes the importance of agriculture, the people who work to produce food, and the pioneers who tamed the corn stalk. A plaque at the site reads:

The Agricultural Symbol has been dedicated to our sincere faith in agriculture as the foundation of our nation. It pays tribure to those who labor long to keep it so: past, present & future.

Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions

While the sculpture is deemed the world’s largest corn stalk, it’s more of an art piece than an actual representation. At first glance, the large metal pole resembles an actual corn stalk, complete with a tassel top. But, if you look closer, the leaves, silks, husks, and ears you normally would find have been replaced with outlines of corn, pigs, and cows. This design is meant to highlight and honor the corn, beef, and pork commodities produced by local farmers.

Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions

The Agri-Symbol was dedicated on September 16, 1978 and created by Cliff Carlson, a sculptor from Wesley, Iowa.

Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions

It’s such an a-MAIZE-ing Iowa roadside attraction! So be sure to stop on by on your next Iowa road trip on I-80 (or check it out in the documentary World’s Largest).

Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions
Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions
Agri-Symbol: The agricultural symbol is a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa | Iowa Roadside Attractions

Agri-Symbol: A 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk

Address: 385th St., Shelby, Iowa (visit town’s website)
Admission: Free
Hours: Always Visible


Pin this Iowa roadside attraction:

I've seen a lot of corny weird roadside attractions on my road trips around the United States. This is the Agri-Symbol, a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa. Visit this stop on tour Iowa road trip and add it to your travel bucket lists and itinerary of things to do in Iowa.
#IowaRoadsideAttractions #IowaRoadsideAttraction #RoadsideAttractions #RoadsideAttraction #RoadTrip #IowaRoadTrip #IowaThingsToDo #IowaRoadTripBucketLists #IowaBucketList #IowaRoadTripIdeas  #IowaTravel
I’ve seen a lot of corny weird roadside attractions on my road trips around the United States. This is the Agri-Symbol, a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa. Visit this stop on tour Iowa road trip and add it to your travel bucket lists and itinerary of things to do in Iowa.

VALerie BROMANN

Founder & Head Road Tripper

Val is the founder and head road tripper at Silly America. Having grown up near Berwyn's famed car kabob, The Spindle, and a restaurant with a cow on its roof, her fascination with roadside attractions started early. Today, Val has visited hundreds roadside attractions across the United States and is constantly on the lookout for the next BIG thing!

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.