Agriculture and Iowa on Center Stage as MLB Hits Home Run with First-Ever Field of Dreams Game

The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played in the first-ever MLB game at the Field of Dreams Thursday, August 12, 2021.
The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played in the first-ever MLB game at the Field of Dreams Thursday, August 12, 2021.
(MLB)

Lush, green cornfields. A picture-perfect sunset. And a walk-off home run, an ending not even the MLB could script. The first-ever MLB game played at the "Field of Dreams" put not only agriculture on center stage, but all of Iowa. 

Social media was on fire with farmers and baseball enthusiasts taking in the surreal game setting. A tribute to the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams," the manicured farm fields and stadium brought the movie to life. And the pinnacle piece of the entire setting was the cornfields that provided the picture-perfect backdrop. 

The entrance to the game set the stage. A true throwback to the "Field of Dreams" movie, Kevin Costner helped the dream come back to life as he emerged from the corn. Just when you thought that was it, that he was going to walk to the mound to throw the first pitch, the MLB surprised viewers again as the corn was used as the entrance for the players during Thursday night's game. 

Social media was also full of farmer questions not only about what hybrid was planted around the field, but how much nitrogen was applied, the row spacing used and everything the farmers did to make the backdrop so picture-perfect. 

U.S. Farm Report visited the Rahe Brothers, who farm the fields surrounding the "Field of Dreams," in 2020, before the game was postponed a year. Then, they were preparing to plant. But what has happened since then, has been nothing short of a full-time job. 

According to Nicole Stecklein, a technical agronomist with DEKALB and Asgrow, works with the farmers. She says the green fields have been two years in the works. Stecklein called it "gardening on a massive scale," with Mother Nature providing challenges last-minute.

"A major storm rolled through last night. You wouldn’t believe the lengths the Rahes went to for two years for perfection. Construction started in the rain after they chopped through mud in October 2019, then expected perfect corn in 2020 after major dirt work," she said on Twitter. "MLB had a hard time remembering this stuff grows outside and is vulnerable to the elements…

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) partnered with MLB for the first-ever "Field of Dreams" game, with a national TV ad and signage behind home plate.  

But some movie fans will tell you just as iconic as the corn during the 1989 film, was the John Deere tractor. And John Deere stepped up to the plate Thursday, partnering with MLB and providing throwbacks and plenty of green before and during the game. 

There were also a few lessons learned on the Dyersville, Iowa, field. For one, field corn isn't the same as sweet corn. And dreams really can come true. 

So, what's next? Well, there's talk the MLB has already signed a contract for a game in 2022. No matter which teams possibly play in 2022, Thursday night proved differences can be set aside. America's favorite pastime has Americana engrained in the sport in many different ways. And a taste of nostalgia can bring out the kid in all of us. 

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